Hackers who prey on high-traffic Instagram accounts have exhausted take-overs of accounts belonging to actors, sports stars and the like and are now targeting the high-dollar world of legal marijuana.

Anthony Carbone, a marketing and security consultant, says: "This is happening [to marijuana-related accounts] because the hackers have gone through all the celebrity accounts and exotic car pages in the last year and a half."

Hackers can demand between $2,000 and $25,000 depending on how many followers a site claims. They are targeting marijuana-related accounts because they have a lot of followers, the companies they represent rake in a lot of money and Instagram is an indispensable marketing tool for an industry that is still hiding from the light of day.

Often the account is taken down and replaced with a smiley face that says, "You've been hacked." Carbone says "it's a community of hackers around the world that does this just for shits and giggles."

In many instances, Instagram help desk is able to restore the account without the victim having to pay a ransom.

Source: LA Weekly