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How to report a channel impersonating you on YouTube
A copycat YouTube channel that reuploads your videos or copies your name and channel art can confuse your subscribers and siphon off your audience, sometimes to push scams in your name. You can get it removed yourself, and this guide covers the exact steps plus how to catch the next one.
They rarely stop at one platform. When you have finished here, you can run a free scan and we will check whether your name is being used elsewhere too.
YouTube's policies are clear: a channel may not copy another channel's profile, banner, or overall look and feel, or pretend to be you. That includes fake "fan" channels that simply reupload your content as their own. Reporting is the fastest route to removal.
First, confirm it is actually impersonation
YouTube allows genuine fan channels and clearly labeled parody or commentary. It removes channels that copy your identity to deceive viewers, by using your name, profile picture, channel art, or reuploading your videos as if they were theirs.
Gather your evidence first
- Screenshot the impersonating channel's homepage, profile picture, and banner.
- Note which of your videos it has reuploaded, with links.
- Save the channel URL and handle for your report.
Report the impersonator on YouTube
- Open the impersonating channel and go to its About tab.
- Click the flag (Report user) icon.
- Choose Impersonation from the report categories.
- Select This channel is impersonating me (or someone else, if reporting on their behalf).
- Add notes describing what was copied, such as channel art, profile picture, thumbnails, and video content, then submit.
For identity or impersonation issues, you can also file through YouTube's privacy and impersonation complaint process in the YouTube Help Center. Channels that rack up three strikes in 90 days are closed.
Speed up the takedown
- Use YouTube's impersonation complaint form, not just the in-app report. Reports are not votes. The report button feeds an automated queue, so fifty taps from fifty subscribers is still one automated decision. The complaint form goes somewhere a person reads it.
- Be specific in your notes. Point to the exact copied art, thumbnails, and reuploaded videos.
- If they reuploaded your actual videos, you can also file a copyright claim, since you own that footage.
Check whether they copied you anywhere else
Whoever copied your channel usually copies your other accounts too, and most creators do not find out until a subscriber flags it. Give us your details and we will run a free scan across YouTube, Instagram and TikTok and email you any accounts using your name and photos.
What to do when they keep coming back
Impersonators reappear. Take one channel down and a new one often shows up under a slightly different name. Checking by hand is exhausting and easy to forget. Ongoing monitoring watches for new clones automatically and files the takedowns for you, so you are not stuck playing whack-a-mole. See how that works on our how it works page.
Want them gone without the back and forth?
Skip the reporting process. 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.
Found a fake on other platforms too?
Frequently asked questions
Do I need the impersonator's login to remove their channel?
No. You report it from your own account or YouTube's complaint form. You never need the fake channel's password.
How long does YouTube take to remove an impersonator?
Clear cases can move quickly with specific evidence on YouTube's impersonation complaint form. Extra reports from other people do not speed it up — reports are not votes, they feed the same automated queue. Channels with three strikes in 90 days are closed.
They reuploaded my actual videos. What can I do?
On top of an impersonation report, you can file a copyright claim, since you own the original footage.
They keep making new channels. What do I do?
This is common. Ongoing monitoring catches new clones early and files takedowns, instead of you checking by hand.
This guide is general information for creators dealing with impersonation, not legal advice. YouTube's tools and steps may change over time.