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UK
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USA
What to do if…
a fake account or dating profile uses your identity to send sexual messages
Short answer
Move to a safer, private place and call 999 if anyone is in immediate danger or a crime is happening now. Otherwise, report the profile through the platform’s impersonation controls, secure your genuine accounts, and tell a few relevant people that the messages are not from you.
Do not do these things
- Do not reply to the fake account or agree to meet anyone connected with it.
- Do not publicly accuse a person you suspect or publish their personal information.
- Do not ask friends to threaten, confront, or investigate anyone.
- Do not pay money or comply with demands intended to stop the account.
- Do not forward sexual messages or images to prove what happened.
- Do not screenshot, record, or share a sexual image if you are unsure whether everyone shown is 18 or older.
- Do not send identity documents to the fake account or an unofficial removal service.
- Do not delete your genuine accounts in panic before checking whether they are secure.
What to do now
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Move somewhere private and safe before responding. Call 999 if someone is in immediate danger, a crime is in progress, or anyone is trying to reach you or another person in real life.
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Check whether this is a separate fake profile or whether your genuine account has been accessed. If you cannot sign in or see activity you did not authorise, use the provider’s official account-recovery process.
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If it is safe, note the profile URL, username, platform, and date, and save screenshots of the profile and text-only messages; do not capture sexual images if you are unsure whether everyone shown is 18 or older.
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Report the profile through the platform’s official impersonation route. Where the platform provides separate options, also report the sexual messages, harassment, threats, or other harmful content.
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Tell a small number of affected contacts through a channel they already recognise as yours. State briefly that the account is fake, the sexual messages did not come from you, and they should not reply, meet anyone, or forward the material.
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Secure your genuine email, social-media, and dating accounts. Change passwords for any account that may have been accessed, change reused passwords, enable two-step verification, and review signed-in devices or sessions where available.
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If you reported the content to the platform at least 48 hours ago and it remains unresolved, Report Harmful Content may be able to review an impersonation or unwanted-sexual-advances report on a supported service.
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You may contact your local police through 101 or an official online reporting route if there are threats, blackmail, repeated harassment, stalking, attempts to arrange meetings in your name, or another risk to someone. Reporting is your choice unless emergency help is needed.
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If intimate images of you are being used or threatened, adults living in the UK can contact the Revenge Porn Helpline. If you are under 18 and a sexual image or video of you is involved, tell a trusted adult or Childline and consider using Report Remove.
What can wait
You do not need to identify the person responsible, explain the situation to everyone you know, publish a statement, decide about legal action, or repair every possible reputational effect today. Focus first on safety, platform reports, essential contacts, and the security of your genuine accounts.
Important reassurance
The messages sent by the fake account are not your actions, and another person’s misuse of your identity is not your fault. A brief, factual warning through a genuine channel can help relevant people understand what has happened without requiring you to disclose more than you choose.
Scope note
This guide covers immediate safety, platform reporting, account security, and specialist support only. Later decisions about continuing harassment, work or education effects, formal complaints, or legal options may require help from an appropriate specialist.
Important note
This is general information, not legal, safeguarding, cybersecurity, therapeutic, or other professional advice. Available reporting routes and support may depend on the platform, the content involved, the ages of those affected, and where events occurred within the UK.
Additional Resources
About this guide
This guide was produced and is maintained by PanicStation.org using its published editorial process. Official and specialist sources are checked where relevant, and AI-assisted tools may be used for drafting, organisation, and consistency checks. The site operator remains responsible for publication, revision, and removal decisions.