Katie* was in the early stages of dating a guy when he went on holiday to Mexico. After she viewed some suspicious Stories on his Instagram account, the 22-year-old had a hunch that he’d jetted abroad with someone else. She needed evidence. So she logged into Instagram using her burner account – otherwise known as an anonymous account created with the sole intention of leaving no trace of the actual person using it. Watching her beau’s stories under an alias, Katie scrolled and stalked until she uncovered the identity of his “baecation” companion. “I was right, of course,” she boasts.
When it comes to incognito social media accounts, you probably know the type. They have a blank profile picture. Their username is either filled with numbers or a bit too common-sounding to be real. Their profile is set to “private”. You’ve likely come across one of these kinds of accounts, assumed they’re a bot and brushed them off. Sometimes, though… they could be someone you’ve already met.
