FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

Tech

See the Russian Vending Machine Selling Fake Instagram Likes in Action

The company behind them says the devices are coming to other countries in Europe soon.

On Tuesday, we wrote about a vending machine in Russia that sells Instagram likes and followers, among other social media services. Today, the machine's manufacturer, Snatap, provided Motherboard with a video of the kiosk in action.

In the clip, a woman prints two of her Instagram photos for 50 rubles ($.88). The video doesn't show the process of buying likes and followers, but it does confirm the machine has some of the capabilities advertised.

Advertisement

Snatap also sent along a pitch deck explaining its business. According to the company, there are roughly 20 of the vending machines in Russia, and a handful of others have been sold to partners in Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic. The company says it costs 14,000 rubles ($245.65) to rent the device, if you're interested (it doesn't say how long you can use the device for).

A slide from Snatap's pitch deck. Image: Snatap

The pitch deck reveals that the vending machines seem to be a breeding ground for spam. If you use them to print a couple photos, the device "automatically adds customer's in social.networks [sic]" and "sends requests to the client's friends."

In other words, if you sign into your Instagram account from one of these things, it's more than likely you'll find your account sending out advertisements for Snatap's clients.

Image: Snatap