A Facebook profile using your name can mislead friends, clients and colleagues. Its existence alone does not prove that someone has accessed your real profile. First save the address and screenshots, then report the profile from its own menu as someone pretending to be you. Mass reports from fake accounts and “report bots” do not help; genuine reports from people who know you do.
A Facebook profile using your name: first steps
The imitator can change the name, photo and posts. Preserve a record of what you can see now.
- Open the profile and copy its full URL. On a phone, use the three-dot menu and copy-link option; on a computer, copy the address from the browser. Record the username as well if it is visible.
- Take screenshots of the profile photo, name, bio, posts and any message or money request. Where possible, make sure the date, name and address appear in the image.
- From the profile menu choose Report profile, then the reason that the profile is pretending to be you or someone you know. Follow Facebook’s particular screens; they determine what extra information it may ask for.
- Warn the people most likely to receive messages: family, colleagues, clients and page administrators. Tell them not to send money, codes, documents or card details, and to verify anything with you through another channel.
Avoid arguing with the imitator or sending identity documents in a chat. A password, two-factor code or backup code should never be given to anyone; we never ask for those details either. If you received a suspicious link around the same time, read how fake verification links work.
How to make a report and what to expect
Make the report from the fake profile’s menu. Select the category for pretending to be another person and say that it concerns you. Facebook may ask for more information through its own process. Use only the form or screens opened by the platform itself; comment accounts calling themselves “Meta Support” are not an official route.
You can ask friends and people who genuinely know you to report the profile from their real accounts too. Each person should report what they personally see: a profile copying your name and photo, or a specific scam message. New accounts for reports, bought reports and automated services do not prove your identity and can create further problems.
Making a report does not guarantee that the profile will be removed. The platform reviews the case under its own rules and may request more context. Keep a copy of what you submit, the date and all notices, rather than submitting the same complaint repeatedly. If you are unsure whether you are seeing impersonation, a takeover or a restriction, review our types of restrictions.
If you do not have a Facebook profile
Someone without a Facebook account can still encounter a profile using their name and photo. There is no need to create a profile simply to argue with an imitator. Facebook’s official help describes a route for reporting a profile or Page pretending to be you or someone else, including for people who do not have an account.
Before using that route, collect the URL, screenshots and a short description of the confusion the profile causes. If the form asks for an identity document, upload it only in the official screen and only when that screen asks for it. Do not send a document by email or direct message to supposed support. The document is for identity checking. Do not make personal data public.
If the imitator uses photos of your child or another close person, preserve the evidence in the same way and make a report from the profile or official form. Do not ask the child to contact the person. Where there is immediate risk, threats or sexualised content, contact the competent authorities for the specific situation.
Instagram impersonation
The approach is similar for an Instagram profile pretending to be you. Open the profile, tap the three-dot menu, choose Report, then select the reason for pretending to be someone else. Instagram also provides specific guidance for reports about profiles pretending to be you. Keep the username and screenshots because the profile can change its name or image.
Impersonation and lost access to your own Instagram are different problems. If your real profile has signed out of your device, its contact details have changed or it is posting in your name, follow the steps for lost access to Instagram. Reporting impersonation does not restore sign-in access to the real profile.
If the false profile messages followers about a payment, issue a short warning through a channel you control: your real profile, website, email list or phone. State which profile is official without reposting scam links. Ask people to verify any request for money by a separate call or through a contact they already trust.
When the case needs more than a report
The case is more serious when a profile requests money in your name, offers services that do not exist, publishes personal information or makes threats. Where fraud is suspected, retain the entire conversation, transfer references, phone numbers and profile addresses. If someone has already sent money, they should contact their bank immediately about the options for that specific transfer.
Where there is fraud in your name or risk to people around you, file a report with the police and bring organised evidence. Tell victims which facts you have preserved and which official reports you have made. Facebook decides independently whether to remove the profile or return funds. When a profile has business value or the official process has not provided a clear path, we can organise the case and evidence through a diagnostic review. We are not Meta and do not replace its review.
Also check whether the false profile is presenting itself as your business. Pages, advertising and team access have separate risks; see our business guidance and, for advertising trouble, what a restricted ad account means. For an urgent matter with evidence available, send us the facts through the contact form.
Official sources
Checked on 23 October 2026.