Having someone impersonate you on Facebook Messenger can be a scary and frustrating situation. Your identity, relationships, and personal information are all put at risk when an imposter takes over your account. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to reclaim your account and protect yourself going forward.
Detecting an imposter on Messenger
The first step is to become aware that someone is impersonating you on Messenger. There are a few warning signs to watch out for:
- You receive messages or friend requests from people asking if you sent them a strange message. The message may contain uncharacteristic language or ask for money or personal information.
- Your Facebook friends or family tell you they received odd messages from your account that you know you didn’t send.
- You notice posts, messages, or friend requests on your account that you don’t remember making. This includes conversations in your message inbox that you never had.
Some other signs your account may be compromised:
- You’re unexpectedly logged out of your account or you can’t log in.
- Your password, email, or security questions have been changed without your doing.
- You stop receiving notifications about login alerts or activity on your account.
The sooner you can detect that someone else has access to your account, the quicker you can take action to secure it.
Collecting evidence
Before taking any action, gather evidence that there is suspicious activity on your account:
- Take screenshots of any unusual posts, messages, or conversations in your Messenger inbox. This provides proof that the account has been compromised.
- Note login locations and times – Check your recent Facebook activity to see if there have been any logins from devices or locations you don’t recognize.
- Document account changes – Take screenshots showing any changes to your password, contact info, or security settings.
Having this evidence will help you demonstrate to Facebook that someone has accessed your account without authorization.
Secure and recover your account
Once you’ve gathered enough proof, you can begin securing your account and removing the imposter’s access:
- Change your password. Update your password to something completely new that only you know. Make sure it’s long, complex, and unique from passwords on your other accounts.
- Enable two-factor authentication. Two-factor adds an extra layer of security, requiring both your password and a numeric code to log in. Activate it in your Facebook Security settings.
- Remove any linked accounts you don’t recognize. Imposters can sometimes add or link other accounts to yours as a way to maintain access.
- Logout of all active sessions. You can see all computers and browsers currently logged into your account under Security settings and log them all out at once.
You may also want to temporarily deactivate your Facebook account while you regain control. Just go to your General Account settings. This will remove access for everyone, including you.
Report the imposter to Facebook
The next step is to let Facebook know your account has been compromised. This is essential for removing the imposter and protecting yourself from further abuse of your information.
You can report your account through Facebook’s impersonation reporting process:
- Click the three dots at the top of the imposter’s message or post to access the Report feature.
- Select “Pretending to be me or someone else.”
- Choose “This is me.”
- Follow the instructions to provide proof of your identity, such as an ID or record of the account’s creation.
You can also report specific content the imposter has posted or sent from your account using the same report process.
Submitting an impersonation report will notify Facebook to investigate the suspicious activity on your account. They may contact you for additional information as they work to remove the imposter.
Notify your Facebook friends and contacts
Let your Facebook friends, family, coworkers, and other contacts know that someone has been impersonating you on Messenger. Tell them to be cautious about any suspicious messages or friend requests from your account. Recommend that they report and block the account to prevent further deception.
Making a post explaining the situation can ensure all of your connections are informed. Just make sure to post it from a secure account the imposter can’t access or delete.
Change credentials for any linked accounts
If you had any other online accounts, such as email, social media, or financial accounts, linked to your Facebook, the imposter may have gained access to those as well.
To be safe, change the passwords and security settings for any accounts associated with your Facebook profile. Remove saved Facebook logins wherever you have them enabled. This will fully sever the imposter’s ability to access your digital information.
Monitor your credit and financial accounts
Identity thieves will sometimes leverage compromised social media accounts to gather information for financial fraud. For extra protection, you should keep an eye out for any suspicious charges or activity in your financial and credit accounts over the next few months.
Report any concerning transactions or accounts you don’t recognize to your bank right away. You may also want to pull your full credit reports from AnnualCreditReport.com to check for new credit lines opened in your name without your authorization.
Limit account exposure moving forward
Once you regain control of your Facebook account, you should take measures to protect your privacy and prevent future impersonation:
- Lock down your privacy settings – Hide your posts from public viewing and limit who can find and contact you.
- Be selective about friends/followers – Only accept requests from people you know and trust.
- Limit personal info sharing – Avoid over-posting personal or financial details a scam artist could leverage.
- Use secure devices and networks – Only log into Facebook on your personal devices on secure connections.
- Create a complex password – Make your new password long, unique, and hard to guess.
- Set up login alerts – Facebook can notify you whenever someone logs into your account from an unrecognized device.
Staying vigilant about security will reduce the chances your account is violated again in the future.
Get law enforcement involved for threats or harassment
If the imposter has used your account to threaten, harass, or solicit minors or has refused to stop after you recover your account, you may want to file a report with the police. Cybercrimes and online harassment may be taken seriously by law enforcement and lead to criminal prosecution.
Save all evidence of the imposter’s activity, including screenshots and account recovery records. This will aid police in tracking down the perpetrator and pressing charges if appropriate.
Conclusion
Having an imposter on Facebook Messenger can be a stressful and dangerous situation. With some quick action though, you can regain control of your account, remove the fraudster, and prevent future deceptions. Be sure to report the impersonator to Facebook, reset your credentials, monitor accounts, and implement tighter security practices moving forward.
With vigilance and quick response, you can reclaim your digital identity and help prevent the impersonator from victimizing anyone else.