Identity theft and impersonation are unfortunately common issues on social media platforms like Facebook. When someone pretends to be you on Facebook, they can potentially use your identity to scam your friends and contacts, spread misinformation, or access personal information. If you discover an impostor account on Facebook pretending to be you, it’s important to report it right away to protect yourself and stop the impersonation. But what exactly happens after you report an impersonator account to Facebook? Here’s a look at the typical process.
How to Report an Impostor Account
If you come across a Facebook profile using your name, photos or other personal information to impersonate you, you can report it directly to Facebook. Here are the steps:
- Go to the impostor account profile page.
- Click the three dots in the upper right corner.
- Select “Find Support or Report Profile.”
- Choose “Pretending to be me or someone I know.”
- Select “Me.”
- Choose the option that best describes how the account is impersonating you.
- Enter your full name.
- Click “Submit.”
Facebook requires you to submit your real name when reporting an impersonator account as an additional verification measure. Providing as many details as possible in the report also helps Facebook investigate faster.
What Facebook Does After Receiving the Report
After you report an impostor account to Facebook, here are the general steps Facebook will take to investigate and handle the issue:
- Review the Report – Facebook content moderators will review your impersonation report to make sure it meets their guidelines for impersonation claims.
- Verify Your Identity – Facebook will try to verify that you are who you claim to be and not impersonating the profile yourself. This may involve asking you to submit a government ID.
- Investigate the Impostor Account – If they can confirm your identity, Facebook investigators will then look into the reported impersonator account for violation of policies.
- Request Verification from the Impostor Account – Facebook will try to contact the impersonator account owner and ask them to verify their identity to prove they are the person depicted in the profile.
- Disable or Remove the Impostor Account – If the impersonator account cannot provide proof of identity, Facebook will likely disable or permanently delete the account for violation of its impersonation policies.
- Notify You – Once the investigation is complete, Facebook should notify you about whether they disabled or removed the impostor account.
The overall process can take up to several days depending on the complexity of the case. Facebook receives millions of reports daily, so it takes some time to investigate each one thoroughly.
Other Actions Facebook May Take
In addition to removing an impersonator account, Facebook may also take these other actions to address your report:
- Disable specific features like posting and commenting abilities.
- Limit account visibility so only confirmed friends can see profile.
- Ban the IP address associated with the impersonator account.
- Report serious criminal impersonation to legal authorities.
Facebook tends to escalate punishments if an impersonator account violates their rules multiple times. Serious or repeat offenders may end up with a permanent ban preventing them from ever creating a Facebook account again.
What Happens if Facebook Doesn’t Remove the Account
In some cases, Facebook may not remove an impersonator account after investigating your report. This can happen for a few reasons:
- The impersonator successfully verifies their identity to Facebook.
- The content on the account does not actually violate Facebook’s impersonation policies.
- There is not enough evidence to confirm your identity over the impersonator.
If Facebook does not disable or delete the impersonator account after your report, here are some additional steps you can take:
- Appeal the decision by filing another report and adding more proof of your identity.
- Report individual posts from the impersonator account for harassment, privacy violations, etc.
- Craft a post explaining the impersonator situation to your Facebook friends and contacts.
- Contact the impersonator directly through private messaging and ask them to stop.
- Deactivate your own Facebook account temporarily to prevent confusion.
- File complaints with the FTC and IC3 about online impersonation.
- Consult a lawyer about potential legal action against the impersonator.
Continually reporting the impersonator’s content and escalating your complaints can sometimes lead to Facebook eventually removing the account, even if they initially refuse.
Preventing Impersonator Accounts
While Facebook has a process to deal with impersonators, avoiding impersonation issues in the first place is ideal. Here are some proactive steps you can take:
- Use maximum privacy settings on your Facebook profile.
- Be selective about approving friend requests from people you don’t know.
- Don’t accept duplicate Facebook friend requests.
- Customize your profile URL to make it harder to imitate.
- Avoid publically displaying personal information like phone number, address, birthdate.
- Periodically search Facebook for your name to identify impersonators early.
- Use login alerts to monitor unauthorized access attempts.
- Enable two-factor authentication for extra login security.
Minimizing your personal information visible to the public can deter and complicate impersonation attempts. Monitoring your profile and security settings vigilantly also allows you to catch and report impostors faster.
Can You Sue an Impersonator?
In addition to reporting impersonators to Facebook and other social platforms, victims of severe impersonation harassment may consider legal action. Here are some key considerations around suing an impersonator:
Online Impersonation Laws
Many states have enacted laws specifically prohibiting internet impersonation and allowing victims to sue perpetrators. For example, California’s law penalizes impersonation meant to harm, intimidate, threaten or defraud victims. However, legal experts note these laws can be challenging to enforce.
Defamation
If an impersonator account spreads false information about you that harms your reputation, you may have grounds for a defamation lawsuit. This requires proving material harm to business, relationships, or reputation.
Harassment
If an impersonator account directs abusive messages, threats, or contact at you, you may be able to sue for cyber harassment. Courts can order impersonators to stop the harassment.
Copyright
Using your name, photos or other creative content without permission may qualify as copyright infringement open to a lawsuit.
Financial Loss
If you experience measurable financial loss or monetary damages due to an impersonator’s actions, you can sue to recover compensation in many cases.
However, suing an anonymous internet impersonator can be extremely difficult in practice. Legal experts recommend first reporting fake accounts through social media channels, law enforcement, and the FTC.
In Summary
Here are some key points to remember about reporting Facebook impersonators:
- Act quickly to report imitation accounts misusing your identity.
- Provide as much documentation as possible to verify your identity.
- Facebook will investigate and may disable or delete impostor accounts.
- Keep escalating complaints if Facebook initially refuses to remove the impersonator.
- You may consider legal action in cases of serious impersonation.
- Preempt impersonators by locking down account security and privacy.
With vigilance and persistence, most impersonator accounts can be removed from Facebook over time. Protecting your identity and connections from misuse makes the effort of reporting fake accounts worth it.
Data on Facebook Impersonation Account Reports
Here are some statistics on impersonation reports on Facebook for context:
| Time Period | Impersonation Reports |
|---|---|
| July – December 2019 | 1.7 million |
| January – June 2020 | 2.3 million |
| July – December 2020 | 4.8 million |
| January – June 2021 | 9.8 million |
Source: Facebook Transparency Reports
Key takeaways:
- Reports of impersonation on Facebook are rising sharply, more than 5x from 2019 to 2021.
- The COVID-19 pandemic and increased social media use may account for some of the increase.
- Facebook disabled 1.3 billion fake accounts in just the first quarter of 2021, indicating the scale of impersonation issues.
Account Removal Rates
When Facebook receives an impersonation report, here are the general rates of account removal they see:
| Reporting Channel | Account Removal Rate |
|---|---|
| In-app reporting | 45% |
| Reporting forms | 63% |
| Law enforcement requests | 79% |
| Government requests | 87% |
Source: Facebook Community Standards Enforcement Report
Key takeaways:
- Law enforcement and government impersonation reports have the highest account removal rates.
- Less than half of in-app reports lead to disabling impersonator accounts initially.
- Repeated reporting is sometimes necessary for account removal, especially from in-app reporting.
How Impersonation Affects Victims
Being impersonated online can seriously affect victims in many ways:
Financial
- Impostors may commit fraud using stolen identities costing victims money.
- Victims may have to spend money on legal fees, identity protection services, or credit monitoring.
Reputational
- Fake accounts damage victims’ reputation through slander, inappropriate content impersonation, etc.
- Careers and relationships can be harmed.
Security
- Impostors can access and distribute private, sensitive personal data.
- Victim’s accounts on other sites may be vulnerable to takeover.
Emotional
- Being impersonated causes significant stress, anxiety, loss of trust.
- Victims feel a loss of control over their identity and online presence.
Together, these effects of impersonation can severely harm a victim’s finances, reputation, privacy, and mental health. The impacts in many cases can last for years even after fake accounts are removed.
Advice for Impersonation Victims
Here are some top tips for those dealing with impersonator accounts of themselves on Facebook or other social platforms:
- Report it. Use the platform’s reporting tools to file an official impersonation complaint.
- Increase privacy. Limit personal info visible publicly to make impersonation harder.
- Warn contacts. Message friends and family to beware of impostors.
- Collect evidence. Compile screen captures, documents, and records of harm.
- Seek legal aid. Consult lawyers about potential legal remedies available.
- Monitor closely. Keep checking for other fake accounts that may emerge.
- Consider counseling. Get mental health support to cope with emotional distress.
- Avoid engaging. Do not directly interact with fake profiles as it can fuel them.
- Check security. Reset passwords, enable two-factor authentication everywhere.
- Be patient. Account removal can take time and persistence.
Staying vigilant, protecting your reputation, and notifying authorities are the best ways to counter impersonators. With time and effort, most victims can re-establish control over their online identity and presence.
Conclusion
Impersonation on social networks is a frustrating issue but one that can be successfully addressed. Facebook provides official reporting channels victims of imitation accounts can pursue to try removing unauthorized profiles using their identity. Persisting with the process and continually providing Facebook evidence of impersonation often leads to the disabling or banning of impostor accounts. But victims can also take proactive measures themselves to monitor for fake profiles and tighten security settings to prevent future imitation. In more severe instances, legal remedies may be an option as well. With proper reporting and diligence, Facebook users can reclaim their name and online reputation from impersonators misrepresenting themselves as someone they are not.