UpGrow.com is not a legitimate Instagram growth service — it’s a shady, misleading operation that does exactly the opposite of what it promises.
They claim to send you “real, organic followers,” but what I actually received were hundreds of ghost accounts — fake, AI-generated bot profiles, most of them private, empty, and clearly fake. These followers destroyed my engagement rate and tanked my reach. It got so bad I am about to shut down my Instagram account completely and start a new account.
I contacted UpGrow multiple times, demanded they stop sending followers, and even threatened legal action — but they continued to spam my account anyway. No human ever responded.
Worse: there is no proper way to cancel your subscription. You’re stuck with a chatbot that gives you generic, scripted replies — no real support, no cancellation button, no accountability.
The only way I could stop them from charging me was by contacting my bank and putting their merchant account on a blacklist.
If you value your Instagram account, your reputation, and your sanity — do not touch UpGrow. It’s a textbook scam preying on creators and small businesses trying to grow.
I also discovered that their bots were following thousands of other accounts, which shows just how widespread this scam is — they’re likely making a fortune off unsuspecting creators who don’t realize what’s happening until it’s too late.
Interestingly, their website looks like a copy-paste version of other social media "growth” platforms, which suggests UpGrow may be part of a larger network of organized scams operating under different names.
One thing I have to admit: the scam is well-executed — and that’s why I fell for it.
At first glance, UpGrow’s website looks clean, professional, and trustworthy. But dig just a little deeper, and the red flags pile up fast. You won’t find full names, photos, or any trace of a real team behind the site. Nothing on LinkedIn either. Always do your homework.
⚠️ Important note: There’s a legitimate company called UpGrow.io based in San Francisco — but that has nothing to do with this operation. Don’t confuse the two.
The address on their invoice is a WeWork co-working space in San Francisco, not a real company HQ. Digging further, I found connections to another company from Texas that I’ve passed to my lawyer for further investigation.
🚫 Bottom line: Stay away from UpGrow. It’s a slick-looking operation built on deception — and it’s hurting real creators and businesses.
UPDATE from April 16, 2025: I just read the reply from UpGrow here on Trustpilot. Thank you, for finally taking notice — though it’s telling that Trustpilot seems to be the only channel where UpGrow reacts swiftly, while direct requests via your website and by email continue to go ignored.
Let me be clear: I have already repeatedly requested immediate cancellation of my subscription, and to date, I have received no confirmation. Moreover, you are still sending fake followers to my Instagram account even now, long after my cancellation request — which I never consented to and which is actively damaging my Instagram brand!!!
If you truly want to make this right, please stop with the PR replies and instead:
1. Confirm in writing that my subscription has been canceled
2. Immediately stop all activity involving my Instagram account
3. Take responsibility for the harm done, rather than deflect with marketing spin.
Until then, my warning stands for others: this is not a service that aligns with transparency or trust.
I’ve now confirmed that UpGrow is actually operated by Happen Media LLC, based in Texas — yet they send invoices under the name “UpGrow Labs, Inc.”, a business that does not appear to exist. This is a serious red flag. If the entity listed on the invoice is fake, that’s a possible case of intentional misrepresentation, and should be investigated by any payment platform processing their transactions. I have already send this information to that processor as well as the fraud department of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.
