How to report a fake Facebook account that's pretending to be you
Someone made a Facebook profile or Page with your name or your photos. Report it from the profile, or use Facebook's impostor form if you don't have an account or can't get in.
First, before you report
Don't message the fake. Don't comment, tag it or argue. It tips them off, they block you or change the name, and your proof goes with it.
- Copy the fake account's link, not just its name. Names change; the link is harder to hide.
- Take dated screenshots: the profile, a few posts, and any messages it sent people. Ask followers who got messages to screenshot them for you.
- Post from your real account: "This is my only account. If 'I' message you asking for money, it isn't me. Please report it."
Report it in the app
- Open the fake profile or Page.
- Tap ⋯ below the cover photo.
- Tap Report profile (or Report Page). Some versions call it Find support or report profile.
- Choose that it's pretending to be you, and follow the prompts.
Friends can report it from their accounts too, as pretending to be someone they know. If the fake is messaging people, they can also report it inside Messenger. Facebook's steps: Report a profile pretending to be you.
No account, or locked out? Use the impostor form
Facebook's impostor form works without logging in, for the person being copied or someone authorized to act for them. It asks for your name and email, the name on the fake profile, its link, and has a place to upload your ID.
What to put in the report
- The fake account's link, and the link to your real account.
- What it copies: your name, your photo, your posts, your business name.
- What it's doing, in one line: "messaging my followers asking for deposits."
- The date you found it.
- A photo of your ID only if you choose to add it on Facebook's own form. Never send it to anyone who messages you, even someone who says they're from Meta.
If it copied your posts or photos
If the fake reposted your photos, videos or posts, file a copyright report on Meta's intellectual property form (it covers Facebook and Instagram). Only the owner or someone you authorize can file it, and it isn't anonymous.
What happens next
Facebook doesn't give a time frame. If you reported from an account, the report shows in your Support Inbox, where you can see the decision and ask for a review.
Still up after a week? Report it again with any new screenshots, and ask a few people who know you to report it too. If anyone sent the fake money, they can report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and the FBI at ic3.gov.
Fake on another app too?
Not sure where else it is? The free 10-minute self-check searches your name, look-alike handles and your headshot.
Don't want to do this every month? Copycat Watch looks for fakes of you each month, fills in the reports, and files again if the fake is still up on day 7 and day 14. The first check is free.
This page links each platform's own help pages so you can find them. Headed In LLC isn't affiliated with or endorsed by any of them, and this isn't legal advice. Platforms change their menus; if a step doesn't match, the help page link has the current one.