INSTAGRAM fans have been warned to watch out for shady clone top nine apps as millions flock to the year-end trend.
The social media craze allows people to create a collage of their favorite photos from the past year.
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There are a number of apps that allow users to do similar things, but the main one is officially called Top Nine and it launched in 2016.
The makers of the service have warned that there are a number of fake apps out there ripping them off.
Some look “exactly the same” and have a very similar name to scammed victims.
The dangerous part is that they request your Instagram username and password, apparently to create your collage of the most popular snaps.
But that actually resulted in people’s accounts being hacked.
“With millions of users jumping on the trend, it’s important to share that we are aware of top nine malicious app clones,” the company said.
“We love to see creative apps design top nine templates, but we’re not talking about the trusted creative apps.
“We are issuing this alert after receiving messages from users claiming that their Instagram account was ‘hacked’, deleted or altered after using Top Nine, when in reality she is unknowingly using a fake Top Nine clone to have.”
If your account is public, you don’t even need to log in to the official Top Nine app. So if you come across an app that does this, it should be a red flag.
Private accounts need to sign in, but it should redirect to an official Instagram webpage in your browser, clearly showing the web address bar with instagram.com on it.
If it is hidden, chances are that it is not a genuine Instagram login page and is a copy trying to steal your information.
To make sure you’re downloading the right app for iPhone or Android, visit TopNine.co.
Top Nine also said their app is free this year.
Previously, they added a watermark to the templates offered.
But for 2022, they’ve decided to make them free, relying on advertising instead.
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