A fake account is pretending to be you: get it removed
Someone is using your photos or name to pretend to be you? Every major platform bans impersonation and has a form to report it, often even if you don’t have an account.
What to do first
- Take a screenshot of the fake profile (with its address and the date) and copy its link.
- Report it with the platform’s impersonation form. Have an ID ready: some platforms ask for it to confirm it’s really you.
- Tell your contacts that this profile isn’t you, without sharing its content.
- If the fake profile is used to scam or harm, report it to the police.
By platform
- Facebook Report a fake profile from Facebook
- Instagram Report an account pretending to be you
- WhatsApp Report an account pretending to be you
- TikTok Report an account impersonating you
- X (Twitter) Report an account impersonating you
- YouTube Report a channel impersonating you
- Snapchat Report an account pretending to be you
- Telegram Someone is pretending to be you on Telegram
- LinkedIn Report a fake or impersonating profile
- Reddit Report an account or community impersonating you
What to avoid
- Never send your ID to someone offering to "help" by message: only use official forms.
- Don’t interact with the fake profile.
Your remedies by country
- DSA: reporting illegal content to a platform (EU) In the European Union, any service that hosts content (social network, forum, sharing site…) must let you report illegal content online, examine your notice carefully and tell you its decision. It works for any content that breaks the law: intimate images, fake profiles, defamation, personal data…
- When a domain registrar ignores your abuse report: ICANN A .com, .net, .org or other generic-extension site is registered through a “registrar” (a domain name registration company). Its contract with ICANN requires it to receive abuse reports, investigate them and respond appropriately. If it does not, you can complain to ICANN.
- Fake profile or online impersonation: what to do in France Creating a fake profile in your name, or using your personal data to disturb your peace or harm your reputation, is a criminal offence in France (identity theft). You can have the platform remove the profile and file a police complaint.
- GDPR: asking for your personal data to be erased In the European Union you can ask a website, company or service to erase data about you (photo, name, address, post…) in the cases set out in the GDPR. It must reply within one month, and it is free.
If it doesn’t work
An official form can go unanswered or be wrongly refused. That’s not the end: there are other doors, heavier but effective — the company hosting the site, the company managing its domain name, the laws of your country, the data protection authority. That’s exactly what we do for you, with your agreement.
- Reporting to the platform
- A written request to the site owner
- The domain name registrar
- The hosting company
- Search engines
- The authority or the courts
Common questions
What if I don’t have an account on that platform?
Most major platforms have a form you can use without an account to report impersonation. The links are on this page.
How long does it take?
Often a few days. If nothing happens after a week, report it again and move on to the next step.
This information helps you use your rights. It doesn’t replace advice from a lawyer.