Impersonation Accounts Pretending to Be You
A fake account is using your name and photos to message your friends. How to report impersonation on the main platforms, warn your contacts, and reduce the chance of it happening again.
A friend messages: "Did you just send me a new friend request?" You did not. Someone has copied your name and profile photo into a new account and is contacting your friends, often to ask for money, codes or to promote an "investment". This is an impersonation or cloned account, and it can be reported and removed.
What to do right away
- Find the fake account and copy its profile link or username.
- Report it as impersonation using the platform's report option on the profile (usually the three dots menu). Choose "pretending to be me" or "impersonation".
- Ask friends to report it too. Multiple reports help.
- Warn your contacts through your real account and other channels. See warning friends.
- Check your real account is secure: password, two-step verification and recent logins. See securing social media accounts.
Hacked or cloned? If you can still log in to your account and nothing has changed, it is probably a clone. If you cannot log in, or posts appear from your real account, it has been hacked. See recovering a hacked account.
What impersonators want
- Money from friends and family for a fake emergency.
- Login codes to take over friends' accounts.
- To promote fake investments or giveaways.
- To damage your reputation or harass you.
Reduce the risk
- Hide your friends or followers list so impersonators cannot see whom to target.
- Limit who can see your photos and profile details.
- Tell contacts your rule: "I will never ask for money or codes by message."
- For public figures and businesses, look into the platform's verification options.
If it involves threats or harassment
If the fake account is being used to threaten, harass or share intimate images, keep evidence, report it to the platform and the police. See sextortion: what to do.
Got a message from an account that looks like a friend? Paste it into CyberWatch AI Scan for a free check, and confirm with your friend another way.
For more, read our guide to account takeover and identity protection.
Frequently asked questions
Is a cloned account the same as a hacked account?
No. A cloned or impersonation account is a new account made to look like yours. Your real account has not been accessed, but the fake one can still scam your contacts.
Can I report an impersonation account if I am not on that platform?
Many platforms let people report impersonation without an account, through their help centre forms. You may need to provide ID.
How can I prevent impersonation?
Limit who can see your friends list and photos, and remind contacts that you will never ask for money or codes by message.
Sources
- Report content on Facebook, Facebook Help Centre
- Social media: how to use it safely, UK National Cyber Security Centre
- How to spot top scams that started on social media, US Federal Trade Commission
