Meta verification proved useless—and my family is still locked out of Instagram

Enlarge / Meta has a verified program for users of Facebook and Instagram. (credit: Getty Images | Chesnot )

The trouble began three days before Christmas. When my sister-in-law Amy tried to log in to her Instagram account shortly before midnight, she was notified that an unauthorized user had tried to access her account. Instagram suggested that she change her password. Wanting to protect the security on her account—an important tool for her successful photography business—Amy did so.

She then tried to log in with her new password but first needed to enter a code to confirm her identity. The code had just been sent to the phone number on her account—a phone number once belonging to her ex-husband but now disconnected.

This was going to be a problem.