Kurakuen’s macaron de OKIYO Instagram has been hacked

It looks like the official Instagram account of the macaron specialty shop “macaron de OKIYO” in Kurakuen-guchi has been hacked.

Quoted from macaron de O-KI-YO’s Instagram

We received a message from the owner saying that the official Instagram account (@macaron_de_okiyo) of the popular macaron shop in Kurakuen-guchi has been hacked! To help prevent others from falling victim to the same scam, we’ll share the details a little more carefully.

Here it is on the map↓

The address is 12-7-1 Ishibane-cho, Nishinomiya, Hyogo.

The shop exterior↓

Details of the damage and how the scam works

In this case, the trigger was receiving a DM from someone the owner trusted（a customer）, which made the message seem believable. Here’s how the scam works.

How the scam unfolds

Apparently, this DM arrived↓

1. A DM arrives from a customer’s hacked account
   
   • A message is sent saying, “I’m taking part in an online influencer program. Could you vote for me?”
   • Based on that person’s(the customer’s) usual writing style and past exchanges, they assumed it was really a message from them(The Japanese phrase “お苦労様” sounded a little odd, so the scammer may not be Japanese)
2. When they ask how to vote, instructions arrive
   • They are instructed, “I’ll send the voting method by SMS, so please give me your mobile phone number.”
3. They receive a verification code by SMS
   • After giving their mobile number, Instagram sends a “password recovery URL code.”
     
   • ↑Then they are instructed along the lines of, “Copy the code that was sent and send it back to me by DM~”
4. The account gets hacked
   • The scammer accesses the verification URL and changes the password. Then they gain access to the account, completing the takeover.

In other words, both this customer in the DM and their account had also been hacked. It’s kind of like the “It’s me” phone scam, where people are tricked into believing the caller is their son.

To prevent this kind of damage, do not share your phone number, date of birth, email address, or similar information even if someone suddenly asks for it.

Other scam methods

There are other ways people are being targeted too, so please keep these in mind!

• Scams using URLs
  1. A suspicious URL is sent.
  2. When you click the URL, you are taken to a page that asks you to enter your ID and password.
  3. After entering them, your account gets hacked.

Basically, if something makes you enter or asks for your ID, password, birthday, or anything like that,consider it suspicious!

How to avoid getting hacked

• Don’t trust “vote for me” requests in DMs!
  • Even if it’s a DM from someone you know, stop and think carefully if it asks you to open a URL or take some kind of action.
• Never share your mobile number or verification codes!
  • A verification code is the key that protects your account. It’s dangerous to share it with anyone. This site explains it in detail.
• Don’t click suspicious URLs!
  • Be especially careful with links that are not from official pages.
    （A fairly reliable way to check whether it’s official is to search for the official website on Google and see whether the domain part of the URL (xxxx.com) matches. But some fake sites differ by only one character or are deliberately confusing, so check carefully.）
• Set up two-factor authentication!
  • It’s an effective way to help prevent account takeovers.

An important notice for macaron de OKIYO followers

The shop owner is deeply saddened by this incident and said, “We are truly sorry for causing trouble.”💦

If you receive a DM from the hacked account (@macaron_de_okiyo), please just ignore it! If you reply, the damage could spread further.

• Hacked account: @macaron_de_okiyo
• New account: @macarondeokiyo

The new account (@macarondeokiyo) is the correct official account, so if you’re a follower who supports the shop, please follow the new account🙏（If the original account is recovered or there are any updates, we’ll write another article）

Finally

That said, I didn’t know there was a macaron shop in Kurakuen-guchi. Sorry about that🙏 It looks like the kind of place kids would be really happy if you bought some for them! I’d like to visit sometime. Nishinomiya gourmet blogger Yajikita-san also went there