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If an AI-generated voice, video, image, profile, or message is impersonating someone, save the original evidence first, then report it through the channel that matches the harm: the FTC for consumer impersonation fraud, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) for internet-enabled crime, local law enforcement for threats or immediate danger, the platform where it appeared, and your bank or payment provider when money or account data is involved. Do not send more money or keep negotiating while you investigate.
This US-focused guide explains what to preserve, which report to file, how to describe the incident, and how to limit financial and identity damage. Synthetic media itself is not automatically a crime; the criminal conduct may be fraud, extortion, harassment, identity theft, or unauthorized account access.
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Stop contact with the suspected impersonator and preserve evidence before blocking, deleting, editing, or reporting the content. If anyone faces an immediate threat, extortion, stalking, or physical danger, contact local emergency services or law enforcement first; evidence collection can continue afterward.
Use a rapid safety check
- Move the conversation to safety if the person involved is being threatened. Do not meet the sender or follow instructions to confront them.
- Do not send additional money, cryptocurrency, identity documents, passwords, one-time codes, or intimate images.
- Do not click unexpected links or install software offered by the sender.
- Verify an alleged family member, executive, bank employee, or government official through a phone number or website you found independently, not through the message or caller ID.
- If an employee, customer, or public-facing organization is being impersonated, alert the organization’s security or legal contact while you preserve the original material.
Why speed matters
Financial institutions may be able to stop, recall, or investigate a transaction only while it is still moving through the payment system. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) advise contacting the bank or payment provider immediately after suspected fraud. Prompt reporting also gives platforms and investigators a better chance of preserving account and network records.
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What evidence should I save before reporting a deepfake?
Save the original files and the surrounding context. A cropped screenshot or re-saved video can remove timestamps, headers, metadata, or the URL investigators need to connect an account to an event.
Make an evidence package
- Content: the original image, audio, video, post, advertisement, profile, email, text, voicemail, or chat export.
- Location: the complete web address, platform name, group or channel, username, account ID, and any message or post ID.
- Contact details: phone numbers, email addresses, payment handles, cryptocurrency addresses, and names used by the sender.
- Timing: dates and times with your time zone, when contact began, when content was posted, and when money or data was sent.
- Transactions: receipts, confirmation numbers, bank statements, card details (redact full account numbers), wire information, gift-card codes, and the receiving institution or wallet address.
- Devices and accounts: the device involved, operating system, browser or app, account security alerts, login history, and any evidence that an account was accessed.
- Context: what the sender claimed, what they requested, how you responded, and why you believe the material is manipulated or the person is being impersonated.
CATCH recommends preserving emails, texts, screenshots, account records, transaction details, phone numbers, usernames, web addresses, and device information. Keep an untouched copy in read-only or backed-up storage, and work from a duplicate when adding notes. Do not alter the original file’s metadata by repeatedly exporting it through an editing app.
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Take full-screen screenshots that include the account name, URL, date, and surrounding conversation. Record a short screen capture showing how the post or profile is reached, but do not interact further than necessary. Save the platform’s download or data-export file when available. Note the exact time you captured it and keep a simple chronological log.
Which reporting route fits my situation?
More than one report may be appropriate. Choose based on the harm, urgency, jurisdiction, and remedy you need rather than trying to find one universal “deepfake” form.
| Situation | Primary report | What it can address |
|---|---|---|
| Consumer deception or someone pretending to be a business, relative, celebrity, or government official to obtain money or information | ReportFraud.ftc.gov | Federal consumer-fraud intelligence and referrals |
| Online scam, hacking, extortion, cryptocurrency fraud, or an interstate internet-enabled crime | IC3 | FBI intake for cyber-enabled crime |
| Threat to life, ongoing crime, stalking, extortion, or immediate physical risk | Local police or the FBI | Urgent safety response and criminal investigation |
| Impersonating post, account, listing, dating profile, or message | The platform’s abuse or report function | Takedown, account review, and preservation of platform records |
| Unauthorized payment, account takeover, or exposed banking details | Bank, card issuer, payment app, and relevant federal report | Transaction intervention, account protection, and fraud investigation |
| Cyber incident affecting an organization or critical infrastructure | Internal security team and applicable CISA incident-reporting channel | Coordinated organizational or infrastructure response |
Report locally where the victim or incident is located, even when the sender is elsewhere. Federal portals are useful for online and interstate activity, but they do not replace an emergency response or a local police report needed by a bank, insurer, or court.
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How do I report an AI impersonation to the FTC?
Use ReportFraud.ftc.gov when the core problem is consumer deception or impersonation fraud. The FTC collects reports for analysis and referrals; submitting a report does not guarantee an individual investigation or a refund.
- Open the FTC reporting site from a browser or device you trust.
- Choose the category that most closely describes the impersonation, scam, identity theft, or payment fraud.
- Enter the sender’s claimed identity, contact details, platform, dates, amount lost, and payment method.
- Explain how the AI-generated material was used: for example, a cloned voice requested an urgent transfer, or a synthetic video promoted a fake investment.
- Submit the report and save the confirmation number, date, and a copy of what you entered.
Attach or retain evidence according to the site’s instructions. Never include passwords, full payment-card numbers, or other secrets that are not needed to identify the incident. If the same event involved a compromised account or a threat, file the additional reports described below rather than relying on the FTC submission alone.
How do I file an FBI IC3 complaint for a deepfake scam?
File at ic3.gov when the incident used the internet, online accounts, messaging, cryptocurrency, extortion, or another cyber-enabled method. IC3 asks for a factual narrative and identifying details that help connect reports.
Information to include
- The suspected person’s name, aliases, usernames, phone numbers, email addresses, websites, and other identifying details.
- How contact began and every relevant date and time.
- The payment method, amount, currency, receiving bank or institution, payment handle, and cryptocurrency address or transaction identifier.
- What the sender requested, what you provided, and whether credentials, identity documents, or financial information were disclosed.
- A chronological description from first contact through the latest event, including links to the preserved content.
Write in plain chronological language. Distinguish what you personally saw or paid from what you suspect. If you do not know whether a video or voice is synthetic, say that it is suspected manipulation and explain the observable facts instead of claiming a technical certainty.
After submitting
Save the IC3 confirmation and any attachments. IC3 generally does not provide a case update for every complaint, so send new material through the channel it specifies and give the confirmation number to your local investigator or financial institution. Do not file duplicate narratives simply to increase the count; update the relevant agency when there is a new loss, threat, account, or suspect.
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When should I contact local police or the FBI directly?
Contact law enforcement immediately for a threat to life, extortion, stalking, a planned physical encounter, ongoing unauthorized access, or any situation where waiting could increase danger. Tell the dispatcher or investigator that synthetic media or impersonation is involved and provide the preserved evidence and your timeline.
Extortion and intimate deepfakes
Do not pay an extortion demand or negotiate for more time. Save the demand, account details, and deadlines; then report it to law enforcement and the platform. If intimate images involve a minor, avoid downloading or redistributing the material and follow law-enforcement instructions for preserving evidence.
Business and infrastructure incidents
An organization should activate its incident-response plan, isolate compromised accounts or devices when safe, preserve logs, and notify its legal, security, and privacy leads. CISA provides incident-reporting channels for relevant organizational and infrastructure cyber incidents. A company report does not replace individual victims’ FTC, IC3, bank, or police reports.
How do I report the fake account or deepfake to the platform?
Use the service’s built-in abuse, impersonation, fraud, or non-consensual-media form, and report the specific post, profile, message, listing, or advertisement rather than only the account in general.
- Open the item’s menu and select the closest report reason, such as impersonation, fraud, harassment, or manipulated media.
- State whose identity is being misused, where the authentic person or organization can be verified, and what harm occurred.
- Include the original URL, username, account ID, and any relevant message IDs.
- Ask the platform to preserve records and prevent re-upload or re-contact where its process allows.
- Save the ticket number, submitted text, and any response.
Platform removal can limit exposure but does not recover money or substitute for law-enforcement evidence. Preserve your copy before requesting deletion, and avoid reposting the deepfake to warn others; redistribution can amplify harm and may create separate legal problems.
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What should I do if I sent money or shared account information?
Call the bank, card issuer, wire service, payment app, or cryptocurrency exchange immediately using a number or website you located independently. Ask whether the transaction can be stopped, recalled, frozen, or disputed, and report the receiving account or wallet as fraudulent.
Secure exposed accounts
- Change the affected password from a clean device and use a unique password.
- Enable multifactor authentication, preferably with an authenticator app or security key where supported.
- Sign out other sessions, revoke unfamiliar app permissions, and check forwarding rules in email.
- Ask the provider to replace compromised cards, account numbers, or authentication factors.
- Watch statements, credit activity, mobile-service changes, and password-reset notices for follow-on abuse.
Consider a fraud alert
You can request a one-year fraud alert through one of the nationwide credit bureaus—Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion—which must notify the others. The alert asks businesses to take extra steps to verify your identity before opening new credit. It does not freeze existing accounts or reverse a payment, so use it alongside bank and account-security actions.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How should I describe the incident so investigators can act?
Lead with the specific harm and the clearest identifiers. A useful report lets an investigator find the account, understand the timeline, and see the financial or safety impact without guessing.
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Use this narrative order
- One-sentence summary: identify the impersonated person or organization, the suspected AI medium, and the harm.
- First contact: state where and when the sender reached you and the account or number used.
- Deception: quote or paraphrase the key claim and explain why it appeared authentic.
- Request and response: list what was demanded, what you sent or disclosed, and exact amounts.
- Evidence: identify saved files, URLs, screenshots, receipts, device records, and witnesses.
- Current risk: describe continuing contact, threats, exposed credentials, or additional victims you know about.
- Actions taken: list bank, platform, FTC, IC3, police, and account-security reports with confirmation numbers.
Do not diagnose the generation tool or name a model unless you have reliable evidence. Investigators need verifiable facts more than speculation about whether a clip was made with a particular software product.
What mistakes can make an AI-fraud case harder to resolve?
- Continuing the conversation: every reply can reveal more information and may give the account time to delete evidence.
- Paying a second demand: payment rarely ends extortion and can signal that you are a profitable target.
- Trusting caller ID: numbers and names can be spoofed; independently verify the contact.
- Editing the only copy: filters, trimming, transcoding, and forwarding can remove metadata and context.
- Publicly accusing someone before verification: misidentification can harm an innocent person and alert a suspect.
- Waiting for a platform response: a takedown request does not replace bank, FTC, IC3, or police reporting.
- Using unofficial “recovery” services: fraud victims are often targeted by people promising guaranteed refunds in exchange for an upfront fee or remote access.
Is creating or sharing synthetic media automatically illegal?
No. The FBI states that “the creation or distribution of synthetic content is not inherently illegal; however, synthetic content can be used to facilitate crimes, such as fraud and extortion.” The report should therefore focus on the conduct—deception, unauthorized use of identity, threats, financial loss, or account compromise—and not assume that every manipulated image or voice violates a criminal law.
Whether a particular act is unlawful can depend on the state, the people depicted, consent, commercial use, defamation, harassment, consumer-protection rules, and the facts of the transaction. Preserve evidence and seek advice from law enforcement or a qualified attorney for a case-specific legal assessment.
How common is AI-assisted impersonation fraud?
The FBI’s 2025 IC3 Annual Report recorded 22,364 complaints and $893,346,472 in adjusted losses in its AI-used-in-cybercrime section. The FTC reported nearly $3 billion in losses to impersonators in 2024, making impersonation scams its top fraud category year after year. These totals are reported losses, not a measure of every incident; many victims never report or cannot calculate the full damage.
What should I keep after filing reports?
Create one incident folder with the untouched originals, working copies, timeline, transaction records, report confirmations, platform tickets, and names of people you contacted. Record each new contact or loss without replying to the sender. Keep the folder private, restrict access on shared devices, and provide copies through official upload portals rather than posting them publicly.
Continue monitoring financial and online accounts for several weeks. If a new phone number, profile, payment request, or threat appears, preserve it as a separate dated item and connect it to the existing report number. A clear chain of evidence helps agencies and providers see that apparently separate accounts are part of the same campaign.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I report an impersonation if I am not sure the audio or video is AI-generated?
Yes. Report the observable conduct and identify the material as suspected manipulation. You do not need to prove which generation tool was used; investigators can assess authenticity from the original file, account records, and surrounding evidence.
What if the impersonator is in another country?
File with the agencies and police where you or the affected organization is located, and include every international phone number, domain, payment route, and time zone in the report. Federal cybercrime portals can correlate cross-border complaints even when a local investigator cannot immediately identify the sender.
Should I publish the deepfake to warn friends or customers?
Usually not. Republishing can increase the victim’s exposure, help the scam spread, and destroy useful context. Send a private warning with a link to the legitimate account or organization, and direct people to the platform’s report function instead.
How can I preserve phone evidence without changing it?
Keep the original message or voicemail in the device or app, export it using the platform’s own download feature, and photograph the screen with the date and account visible. Store a backup copy and avoid editing, filtering, or repeatedly forwarding the file before investigators receive it.
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