Despite all the advances made towards security in the cyber universe, no one is entirely protected against online scams, one of the most disturbing of which is impersonation on social media. Impersonation is when someone pretends to be someone else and misuse their name and reputation.
Although the aim of online impersonation is not always making mischief, it is quite annoying to see someone pretending to be you. An online imposter may set up a fake social media profile that impersonates another user to cause trouble, mock and make fun of the impersonated user or just to enjoy their reputation. To make social media a safer place, you need to detect impersonation and know how to deal with it.
Is it illegal to impersonate someone on Instagram?
Yes, impersonating a celebrity or any brand is against the law, and you can report this to Instagram. Impersonation is one of the items available on the Instagram report. You can also report the impersonation of your friends or someone you know.
Here is the summary of the Instagram community guideline:
- Share only photos and videos that you’ve taken or had the right to share.
- Post photos and videos that are appropriate for a diverse audience.
- Foster meaningful and genuine interactions.
- Follow the law.
- Respect other members of the Instagram community.
- Maintain our supportive environment by not glorifying self-injury.
- Be thoughtful when posting newsworthy events.
As Instagram state on their community guideline:
“You don’t have to use your real name on Instagram, but we do require Instagram users to provide us with accurate and up to date information. Don’t impersonate others and don’t create accounts to violate our guidelines or mislead others.”
What happens if someone reports you on Instagram?
it depends on what they have reported. The Instagram team would consider all the reports, and if you have done anything against Instagram terms of conditions, they suspend your account or delete it forever. For example, child abuse is one of the Instagram rules that would lead to the deletion of any Instagram accounts, with any number of followers.
If we report someone on Instagram will they know
No. no one would realize if you report them on Instagram, unless the account gets suspended, or deleted by Instagram. At that time, Instagram won’t let them have reported their account. They only can see that their account has been deleted because of violating Instagram terms of service.
How to see reported posts on Instagram?
you can see your reported posts and the results directly from your Instagram app. To see the reported posts:
- Open the Instagram app
- Login to your account
- Go to your profile on Instagram by tapping the profile picture on the bottom of the page
- Tap setting
- Tap help
- Tap support requests
You cannot undo a report on Instagram.
How many reports to delete Instagram account?
A few reports can also lead to suspension of Instagram account if it is certainly do something against Instagram guidelines.
Does reporting a picture on Instagram delete it
yes, but it depends on the status of the picture. If it is spammy and against the Instagram guidelines, they would delete the picture. You can see the results of reporting the content on the Instagram app from Setting>Help>Support requests. (picture above).
How to report impersonation on social media?
Impersonation is a crime. No matter why an imposter has created a fake social media account under your name, this person must be reported and removed from the platform. Below is how to report impersonation on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, and TikTok.
1- Report Facebook Impersonation
In the case of witnessing impersonation on Facebook, go to “Report an Imposter Account” page and report the fake Facebook account, and choose between these options:
- Someone is using my email address on their account
- Someone created an account for my business or organization
- Someone created an account pretending to be me or a friend
Facebook will help you resolve the problem, and if necessary, they will delete or ban the fake account.
2- Report Instagram Impersonation
Impersonation on Instagram is more prevalent compared to other social media. In case of coming across an imposter on Instagram, report the account via this form in Instagram support.
You will be required to pick one of the following:
- Someone created an account for my business or organization
- Someone created an account pretending to be me or a friend
- Someone created an account pretending to be someone I represent (ex: my child)
- I can’t log into my old account
3- Report Twitter Impersonation
To report an account on Twitter, go to that account’s page. There, click the “…” button and choose “Report @username.”
A list of options will show up among which there is “They’re pretending to be me or someone else”:
4- Report LinkedIn Impersonation
Similar to Twitter, to report an account on LinkedIn, go to the targeted profile. In their page click on the “More” option, then “Report/Block,” and finally “Report this profile.”
What pops up next is a list of reasons you want to report the LinkedIn profile. Pick “I think this person is impersonating someone” and hit “Submit.”
5- Report YouTube Impersonation
You can report impersonation on YouTube right from the platform. Go to the intended channel and click on “About.” Then find the flag icon and click it. Choose “Report User”, pick a reason, and hit “report.”
6- Report Pinterest Impersonation
Pinterest doesn’t provide a ready form to users for reporting an online scam. Instead, they want you to communicate the problem and explain the situation in which you are experiencing inconvenience.
In their report impersonation page, they have clarified what needs be done in case a Pinterest user is suspicious of impersonating another person than they really are.
7- Report TikTok Impersonation
TikTok has a built-in reporting process that is very convenient. To report a fake account on TikTok, go to the intended user profile and do as displayed below:
How to deal with impersonation on social media?
I was explained how to report an imposter on social media who tries to impersonate you. But reporting isn’t enough to safeguard a social media account and reputation from online criminal. Here is what needs to be carried out in case of such an online scam.
Tell friends and followers
It takes some time until the targeted social media platform takes some action and get you rid of the imposter account. Meanwhile, it is wise to publish a post or send messages to inform others about the presence of a fake account under your name. Ask friends and followers to block the imposter account and as this person might have some dangerous or mischievous intentions in mind, want your friends never reply to his/her messages and requests.
Moreover, tell everybody if they received a new follow/connect request from an account under your name, never apply before asking directly from you if the request is yours or not.
Make your page private
Whatever the goal be, an impersonator is going to check on your social media page and tries to keep themselves updated on the events related to you. If you have public accounts on social media, make them private one by one until everything is back to normal.
The impersonator might head to your pages and steal your newer posts to look even more like you. This will also help the social media platforms to better decide who is real, between you and the scammer.
Over to you
A person who commits impersonation on social media cannot be a Dr. Who, intelligent and dangerous as a hacker and cracker might be. They most likely have under-standard IQ gain to commit such a childish and downgraded crime. So don’t worry much and try to do whatever it takes to give them their lesson. Getting reported and being removed from social media and deprived of all its benefits and funs is enough lesson for them.
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