By Daily Mail Reporter PUBLISHED: 11:47 EST, 27 January 2013 | UPDATED: 12:01 EST, 27 January 2013 Dozens of Instagram and Facebook users have been left frustrated and alarmed after both sites locked them out of their accounts this week and demanded copies of Government-approved ID to allow them to regain access. Online comment threads were inundated with questions from concerned users on Tuesday who thought the approach was a phishing scam, CNET reported. However, yesterday it was confirmed the request was official and users would need to follow the strict instructions in order to get their accounts reactivated.
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Angry users flood message boards after being locked out of their accounts and receiving notification they had to submit ID which they presume was a scam
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Facebook spokesman confirms yesterday it was an official request and it can require ID if a user is suspected of violating terms of service
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Many left frustrated as site fails to respond to emails or refuses to accept ID put forward
Many expressed frustration that their ID was not accepted or that it took days for @placeholder to respond