Late September — Discovery of Instagram Account Access Issues

Timeframe: The last weekend of September
Instagram audience at the time: Approximately 9,000 followers

The last weekend of September, I attempted to log back into my Instagram account and discovered that my login credentials had been changed. I was unable to access my account, which had approximately 12,000 followers at the time.

I attempted to locate emails from Instagram that might explain the account changes, but I could not find them. I then discovered that emails relating to Instagram were also missing from my email account.

The missing correspondence included an email concerning a data download I had requested from Instagram before I discovered the account access issue. I could no longer locate that email either.

These discoveries raised concerns about both my Instagram account and the security of my associated email account. I began trying to understand what had happened to my accounts and the missing correspondence.