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If someone has made a fake Instagram, Facebook or WhatsApp profile with your name and photos, you can ask for it to be taken down, and Indian rules give you clear steps to follow. The order matters: save the evidence, report to the platform, then escalate to the national cybercrime portal if the account is used to cheat, threaten or harass. If you are under 18, do this with a parent or a teacher you trust.
What should you do first when someone makes a fake account in your name?
Collect evidence before you report, because a removed account takes your proof with it. Platforms must keep removed content for 180 days for investigations, under rule 3(1)(g) of the IT Rules, 2021, as updated to 10 February 2026, but the police will still want to see what you saw. Make one folder and save:
The profile link (URL) and the exact username.
Screenshots of the profile and its posts, with your phone's date and time visible.
Screenshots of messages it sent to your friends or family, with the username showing.
The link to your own real profile.
A short log: when you found it, who told you, and what it has posted or asked for.
Do not argue with the fake account. Tell your contacts it is not you and they should not send it money, OTPs or photos.
How do you report a fake account to the platform?
Use the impersonation option, not just "spam". Facebook's help page on impersonation says you can report a profile pretending to be you from its menu, or use a separate form if you don't have an account.
Indian rules then put the platform on a clock. Under rule 3(2)(b) of the IT Rules, when you, or someone on your behalf, complain about content that is prima facie "in the nature of impersonation in an electronic form", including morphed images of you, the platform must take all reasonable steps to remove it within two hours. The platform's Grievance Officer must acknowledge your complaint within 24 hours and resolve a removal request within 36 hours (rule 3(2)(a)).
If you disagree with the Grievance Officer's decision, or your complaint is not resolved in time, rule 3A of the IT Rules lets you appeal to a government Grievance Appellate Committee within 30 days of hearing from the Grievance Officer.
When should you report on cybercrime.gov.in or call 1930?
Go to the police route as well as the platform if the fake account:
asks your friends or relatives for money, OTPs or UPI payments
posts morphed or sexual images of you
threatens, blackmails or stalks you
keeps coming back under new usernames after removal
The National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal lets the public report all types of cybercrime, with a special focus on crimes against women and children, according to a Press Information Bureau release from December 2024. The same release says complaints made there, including their conversion into FIRs, are handled by the police of the state or union territory concerned, and that the toll-free 1930 helpline runs 24x7 and guides victims on reporting crimes such as online harassment and identity theft. If money has already been sent, call 1930 at once.
Attach your evidence folder and the platform's complaint number; the same papers work at a police station or cyber cell.
What does the IT Act say about impersonating someone online?
Two sections of the Information Technology Act, 2000 fit most fake-account cases:
Section 66C (identity theft): fraudulently or dishonestly using another person's electronic signature, password or "any other unique identification feature" is punishable with up to three years in prison and a fine of up to ₹1 lakh.
Section 66D (cheating by personation using a computer resource): cheating someone by pretending to be another person, through any communication device or computer resource, carries the same maximum of three years and ₹1 lakh.
The IT Rules still make impersonation a takedown ground: platforms must make reasonable efforts to stop users posting anything that "impersonates another person" (rule 3(1)(b)(vi)). The police decide which section fits.
What can you do while you wait?
Feeling anxious or embarrassed is normal. If it is affecting your sleep or mood, the government's Tele MANAS service offers 24x7 counselling on the toll-free number 14416, according to the Press Information Bureau.
If your photos were edited, read our guide on what to do when someone morphs your photo with AI. For younger children, see how to handle online bullying together, step by step. To keep your real accounts safe, learn how to spot AI-written phishing emails.
Once things settle and you want your study week back on track, Fermi's AI tutor can work out what you already know and build a plan for the session, so you sit down to a clear next step.
