Someone made a fake account using my photos
Finding a fake account using your photos is violating, especially when it is passing your face off as someone else to scam people. You can get it removed, often within a few days, and you do not need any access to the fake account. Here is how to do it across the platforms, and how to stop your pictures from being reused.
Whether someone stole your profile picture, your selfies, or whole posts, the deception is the problem platforms act on. Using your images to pretend to be you, or to run a scam, breaks the impersonation rules on every major platform.
Step one: save the evidence
- Screenshot the fake profile in full, including the stolen photos in context.
- Note which of your photos are being used and, if you can, where the originals are posted. Your own earlier posts help prove the images are yours.
- Capture any scam messages the account has sent.
Step two: report it the right way
- Open the fake profile and use the platform's report option.
- Select impersonation, or "pretending to be someone else", and that it is pretending to be you.
- If you took the photos, also file an intellectual property or photo-misuse claim where the platform offers one. That gives you a second, independent route to removal.
- Provide ID if asked, and ask your followers to report the same account.
The exact flow differs by platform. We have step-by-step guides for Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube.
Want them gone without the back and forth?
For a one time $297, a Thuros Security specialist finds every account impersonating you across Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube, files the takedowns, and emails you a report of what was removed. No subscription, no login, no password.
Not sure if a fake exists yet? Run a free scan
Most creators do not find out until a follower flags it. Drop your details and a Thuros Security team member will scan Instagram and TikTok by hand and email you any accounts using your name and photos.
What to do when they keep coming back
Here is the part most guides skip: impersonators reappear. Take one down and a new clone often shows up days later under a slightly different handle. It turns into a game of whack-a-mole, and checking by hand every week is exhausting and easy to forget.
That is where ongoing monitoring matters. Instead of hoping you catch the next fake, a monitoring service watches for new clones automatically and files the takedowns for you. You can see how that works on our how it works page, or compare plans from $49 a month.
Frequently asked questions
Report the account for impersonation, and if you took the photos you can also file an intellectual property claim. Document everything first with screenshots.
Yes. Even without a copyright claim, using your likeness to deceive people is impersonation, which platforms remove on report.
Usually a few days. Clear evidence and multiple reports speed it up.
Stolen photos get reused across new clones. Ongoing monitoring finds and reports them automatically as they appear.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Platform reporting steps may change over time.