Instagram allegedly gives man’s account to FC Barcelona soccer star with same name, Andrés Iniesta

THIS Spanish guy’s only crime was having the exact same name as soccer star Andrés Iniesta. So Instagram allegedly stole his account.

WHATEVER you do folks, don’t name your kids after a celebrity. Or else they might get their social media accounts pilfered for their famous namesakes.

At least, this is the experience of one regular Spanish fella, whose only crime was having the exact same name as a soccer star.

Andrés Iniesta claims his Instagram account @ainiesta was closed and given to the captain of FC Barcelona.

Will the real Andrés Iniesta please stand up ... Here’s the FC Barcelona midfielder. Picture: AFP

In a post on Medium, Iniesta says his Instagram was suddenly shutdown four days ago with no prior warning under the explanation that he “infringed the Terms of Use”.

After poring over the T’s & C’s he concluded he had done nothing wrong.

“I am a father who likes to take pictures of his kids, yummy food and interesting buildings in Madrid,” the designer said.

After several attempts at contacting Instagram and not hearing back, he grew concerned.

It was the pizza’s fault? ... One of Iniesta’s Instagram images.

That’s when his mates started noticing that Andrés Iniesta (the famous one) had appeared in their “following” list and was popping up in their feeds.

“All my friends called me saying that they were seeing updates on their timelines from the other Andrés Iniesta, not mine,” he wrote.

Iniesta said that he felt his rights had been violated “somehow” because he hadn’t done anything to deserve losing his account.

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“It’s clear that my account has been “stolen”, but I don’t imagine Iniesta the player being behind this himself,” he wrote.

“And worst of all, Instagram has definitely contributed to this situation.

Back on Insta ... But Iniesta wants answers.

“What pains me is that all of this has happened without any explanation, not even a twitter response from Instagram.”

“I’m not a celebrity, and I don’t want to be one. I just don’t like things being taken away from me.”

Five hours after he published his post, Instagram allegedly restored the account to its true owner. The soccer player is now using @andresiniesta8.
Instagram has been contacted by News Corp Australia for comment.

Instagram has been known to take over social media squatters — people who sit on a particular account name in the hope of getting some cash when brands want to claim it — but seizing a genuine, active account is seemingly new territory.

My account is back, that's great! But no response at all! I don't understand

— Andrés Iniesta (@ainiesta) July 19, 2015

Meanwhile, Iniesta has been flooded with support by readers of his post.

James McDowell wrote: “It’s good that we have opportunities to raise hell online. It’s the only way to hold these kinds of companies accountable when their customer services gives you the silent middle finger.”

Some suggested Iniesta looking into taking legal action, with Steve Amara commenting: “This is absolutely ridiculous. You could even sue them.”

Twitter was also buzzing with messages.

@ainiesta That is truly messed up and more than likely illegal. If you were a squatter, that is different but you are a real person :)

— Matt Sells (@_mattsells) July 20, 2015

@ainiesta @mariancall Sadly, this isn't the first time a social media account has been taken away to be given to the more famous nameholder.

— Jim Gaynor (@jimgaynor) July 19, 2015

@ainiesta I hope this is resolved for you. It's a terrible thing.

— Harvey Auzorst (@harveyauzorst) July 19, 2015

Twitter: @sopphie

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