Hacked Instagram & Meta's Terrible Support: Follow My Real Account Instead

A quick but important update about my Instagram presence.

If you've been following me for a while, you might know that I have two Instagram accounts in my name. There's a story behind this that I think is worth sharing, especially since it affects where you should be following me.

Two Accounts, One Problem

I currently have two Instagram accounts that bear my name:

• My active, current account: @danny_legging - This is the one I actually control and use regularly
• My old, hacked account: @dannylegging - This one was taken from me and I no longer have access to

The second one, @dannylegging, was my original Instagram account. It had built up nearly 1000 followers over time, and I was quite proud of the community there. Unfortunately, it was hacked a while ago, and despite my best efforts, I've never been able to regain access.

The Instagram Support Nightmare

What's particularly frustrating about this situation is Instagram's (and by extension, Meta's) appalling lack of proper support for hacked accounts. You'd think that proving ownership of an account that clearly bears your actual name would be straightforward, but apparently not.

The hacker changed all the login and authentication details, but bizarrely, they've left the account sitting there unchanged otherwise. It's essentially a digital ghost of what used to be mine - still visible, still accessible to followers, but completely out of my control.

Despite multiple attempts to contact support, provide verification, and explain the situation, Meta's support system has been completely useless. It's shocking how little they seem to care about helping users regain access to compromised accounts, especially when the evidence of ownership is so clear.

Building Anew

Losing nearly 1000 followers overnight wasn't exactly ideal, but I've started fresh with my current account at @danny_legging. It's gradually building back up, and I'm grateful to everyone who's found their way to the right account.

This is where all my current content, updates, and interactions happen. If you want to see what I'm actually posting and engage with my content, this is the place to be.

Please Follow The Right Account

I'm writing this post primarily as a public service announcement: do not follow my old hacked account at @dannylegging. While the hacker hasn't done anything malicious with it yet (as far as I can tell), it's not me, and I have no control over what might happen there in the future.

Instead, please follow and interact with me at my active account: @danny_legging

This way, you'll actually be following me, seeing my real content, and supporting my work rather than some random person who decided to hijack my digital identity.

A Lesson in Digital Ownership

If there's one lesson to take from this experience, it's that we don't really own our social media accounts - we just rent them. The moment something goes wrong, you're at the mercy of corporate support systems that often couldn't care less about individual users.

It's also a reminder to always have backup ways for people to find you. Don't rely solely on one platform or one account.

Thanks for reading, and thanks to everyone who's made the switch to following me at @danny_legging. See you over there!