Authentication broken?

[HELP] Locked out of Instagram since March — video selfie won’t resolve, account stuck, 7 years of memories at risk

Back in March 2025, I temporarily deactivated all my social media accounts. When I tried to return, I hit a nightmare wall with Instagram. • The email tied to my account is apparently also tied to another (not mine). • Luckily, my phone number is still linked to my real account. • Instagram forced me into the video selfie verification loop. I’ve done this multiple times over the past several months. • Every time, I waited the “3–7 days” for a confirmation email — nothing ever came. • I’ve reinstalled the app, cleared cache, switched networks, switched phones.

Most recently: • On my wife’s iPhone 12 (instead of my iPhone 15 Pro Max), I actually got further: • Submitted the selfie. • Was prompted to change my password. • After entering a new password, I get: “An unexpected error occurred. Please try logging in again.” • No matter what, I can’t log in.

My account is now flagged as locked and scheduled for deletion. I have 7 years of photos, messages, and memories in there that I don’t want to lose.

What I’ve already tried: • Meta Accounts Center → cannot turn off 2FA, always errors (“try again later”). • App vs browser login (same issue). • Multiple devices, networks, and reinstall attempts. • Contact forms for Meta / Instagram / Facebook — no real human response.

At this point, I don’t know if my account is stuck in a backend “limbo” or if there’s a workaround. Has anyone successfully escaped this exact loop (selfie submitted → password reset → endless login error)? Any escalation contacts at Meta that actually works?