A network of Instagram accounts is making the dangerous journey from Morocco to Spain’s Ceuta look easy, while some are reportedly charging migrants hundreds of pounds for information on how to cross.
For people dreaming of reaching Europe, a few minutes on Instagram can make a dangerous journey look almost harmless.
Videos show young people swimming through the sea, walking around Ceuta and celebrating after apparently making the crossing. But behind some of the posts is a much darker business.
An investigation has identified dozens of interconnected Instagram accounts promoting what appears to be an easy route from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta.
The accounts often use emotional videos and hopeful stories to attract people considering the journey. Some also offer to provide information on how to cross for a fee.
To test the accounts, an investigation created a fake Moroccan profile called Mohammed. One account offered to help the fictional migrant cross to Ceuta for 5,000 Moroccan dirhams, about £400, paid upfront.
The account claimed to have helped “many people” before and offered information about using “sewer pipes” to reach the enclave.
When asked whether the money would be refunded if the crossing failed, the account did not respond.
The investigation also found that several apparently separate Instagram profiles directed users towards the same phone numbers and email addresses, suggesting links between some of the accounts.
Many of the profiles use variations of the word Haraga, a Maghrebi Arabic term often used for migrants who cross borders illegally and may destroy their identity documents to avoid being sent back.
Some accounts had existed for years but had only recently begun attracting large audiences with content about Ceuta.
The danger behind the videos is much harder to see.
People have drowned attempting the crossing, while other migrants have taken much longer and more dangerous routes. The investigation also found posts suggesting that reaching Ceuta was a straightforward path to mainland Europe, even though authorities have returned tens of thousands of arrivals to Morocco.
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The surge has already caused serious tensions between Morocco and Spain.
Meta, which owns Instagram, said it was monitoring the situation and removing content that violates its policies, including material offering to facilitate human smuggling. Several accounts were removed after being contacted about the investigation.
But the problem goes beyond individual accounts.
When hopeful and emotional videos are repeatedly pushed into the feeds of people already considering migration, social media can turn a dangerous journey into something that looks achievable.
And for those watching from Morocco, the difference between an Instagram video and the reality waiting at sea could be a matter of life or death.
