Hey there, Cloud-Wizard! Totally get why you’re nervous about those “recovery” tools – back when I was trying to hide stuff, I learned pretty quickly that anything asking for your login details outside the official site is usually a giant red flag just waiting to snatch your info. Trust your gut on that one.
For Instagram DMs, honestly, the safest and only really legitimate way to check for any of your data is through Instagram’s own “Download Your Information” feature. You can usually find it in your settings under “Your activity” or “Security and Privacy.” It’ll create a file with all your account data, messages included. The big caveat here is that it usually only contains data that’s still on their servers, not truly permanently deleted stuff. Once you hit delete on a message, it’s often gone for good, which is a bummer but also kind of the point of deleting, right?
Seriously, stay far away from any app or service that promises to recover deleted DMs by asking for your Instagram password or any other sensitive info. They’re almost always scams trying to hack your account or spread malware. If Instagram itself doesn’t have an official feature for it, chances are it’s not possible, and definitely not “safely.”