A profile opened in someone else’s name, with someone else’s photos, is used to insult, to defraud or to get close to children. That is not a harmless joke.
Why fake profiles are created
A fake profile lets the perpetrator stay hidden, do harm under someone else’s name, or win a child’s trust by posing as a peer.
Posting content in someone else’s name in order to shame them
Contacting children under a false identity (grooming)
Scams — asking the victim’s friends for money
Getting around a block after being reported
How to spot a fake profile
Check how old the profile is, who follows it, and whether the photos appear on other profiles too. A stranger who suddenly starts a very close conversation is the clearest sign of all.
A new profile with few posts and few followers
Photos that appear on other profiles as well
Refusing video calls, and suspicious invented stories
Moving quickly to a private messaging app
What you can do now
Take a screenshot of the profile and of its address (the link).
Report the profile to the platform as a fake identity.
