One Click Away: A Phishing Scam That Almost Fooled Them

Arun was deeply focused on his work. Sitting at his desk, laptop open, coffee beside him, he was racing to finish an important project before the deadline. Lines of code, emails, and notifications filled his screen.

Suddenly, a new email popped up.

Subject: Your Instagram Account Has Been Hacked – Reset Password Immediately

Arun’s heart skipped a beat.

The email looked official. It had the Instagram logo, professional language, and a bold button that said “Reset Your Password Now.” Without thinking too much, Arun clicked the link.

A page opened that looked exactly like Instagram’s login screen.

“Someone hacked my account,” Arun muttered to himself.
He started typing his username and password.

Just then, Akhila walked into the room.

“What are you doing?” Akhila asked, standing behind him.

“My Instagram got hacked,” Arun replied. “I got an official email. I need to reset my password.”

Akhila leaned closer to the screen. Something didn’t feel right.

“Wait… don’t click anything yet,” she said calmly.

Arun looked confused.
“It’s not a trap. See? It looks exactly like Instagram.”

“What are you doing?” Akhila asked, standing behind him.

Akhila asked him to stop and pointed at the browser’s address bar.

“Look carefully at the website link,” she said.

The domain looked almost correct—but not quite.

Instead of
instagram.com
it showed something like
insta-verify-secure.com

“That’s the trick,” Akhila explained.
“This is a phishing scam. Fake emails and websites are designed to look real. One small change in the domain is all it takes.”

Arun froze.

“If you had entered your password,” Akhila continued,
“they would have stolen it instantly.”

Arun says You are Brilent 

Akhila says Thank you !!, HAaaa.

Understanding the Scam

Akhila explained how phishing works:

• Scammers send fake urgent emails

• They create look-alike websites

• They trick users into sharing passwords or personal details

• Once stolen, accounts can be hacked within minutes

Arun slowly closed the fake page.

“You just saved my account,” he said with a smile.

He stood up, shook her hand gratefully, and laughed.
“Thank you for not letting me fall into that trap.”

With the danger avoided and the lesson learned, Arun shut down his laptop.

“Project done. Crisis avoided,” he said.

Akhila smiled.
“Now let’s go. We’re already late for evening shopping.”

Hand in hand, happy and relieved, they stepped out together—safe, informed, and one scam smarter.