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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Do not send money, share passwords or verification codes, click links, or install anything in response to a suspicious request. Verify it through a contact method you already trust, save evidence, then report the content to the platform and—if fraud or attempted internet crime is involved in the United States—to the appropriate official channel. A convincing face or voice is not proof that the person shown or heard made the request.
Someone made a deepfake of me—or is using my name. What should I do first?
Start with the harm the person may be trying to cause, not with whether the content looks or sounds real. AI can make convincing images, video, voices, and messages, and generated content may have no obvious defects. The FBI advises independently verifying unexpected requests rather than relying on appearance or voice alone.
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- Stop the requested action. Do not send money, gift cards, cryptocurrency, identity documents, passwords, authentication codes, or other sensitive information. Do not click links, open attachments, or install apps until you have verified the contact.
- Verify using a separate, trusted route. Call or message the person or organization using a number, email address, or account you already know is genuine. Do not use the number, link, or reply path in the suspicious message. If the request claims to come from a family member, executive, bank, government agency, or law enforcement, check through a second channel already on file.
- Look for context clues, but do not treat them as a test. Check the URL, email address, account handle, wording, and whether the request is unusually urgent or asks you to bypass normal procedures. These may be warning signs; their absence does not prove the contact is genuine.
- If you have already paid or disclosed information, act on that exposure now. Contact the bank, card issuer, payment provider, or cryptocurrency platform through its genuine app or a phone number you independently know. Ask what can be done to stop or dispute the payment and secure the account. A report or request for help does not guarantee that money can be recovered.
For workplaces, payment changes and sensitive requests should go through an established callback and approval process. Do not make an exception just because a familiar colleague’s face or voice appears on a call.
What evidence should I save before reporting it?
Where safe and lawful, record the details before a post, profile, or message disappears. Keep the original messages and files unedited; capture screenshots or a screen recording as a separate record.
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- The profile name, handle, full URL, platform, and date and time you saw the content.
- The exact claim or demand, plus sender details such as phone numbers, email addresses, message headers, or account identifiers.
- Any transaction information: date, amount, payment method, recipient or account details, and a cryptocurrency address if one was used.
- Report confirmations and case numbers after you submit a report.
These details are among the information the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) asks complainants to provide. If the content is intimate imagery, do not forward or repost it as proof; use the platform’s dedicated intimate-image reporting route and seek current local support.
How do I report an AI voice scam, fake account, or impersonation video?
The right route depends on the target, medium, harm, and country. Start with the service hosting the content, then add the relevant fraud or security report if money, credentials, or account access may be at risk.
| Situation | Where to report | What to include or know |
|---|---|---|
| A post, profile, or message falsely represents you or your organization | The platform’s current impersonation, safety, or reporting flow | Include the profile or post URL and saved evidence. Keep the confirmation or case number. Platform reporting does not guarantee removal. |
| Fraud or attempted internet crime in the United States | FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), at ic3.gov |
Include contact identity, communication methods, URLs, profile names, a description of what happened, and transaction details if applicable. Type the address yourself rather than following an unsolicited link or sponsored search result: IC3 warns about fake complaint sites and “recovery” scammers who target people after an earlier loss. |
| A scam falsely claims to represent a U.S. government entity or business | Federal Trade Commission, at ReportFraud.ftc.gov |
The FTC’s Government and Business Impersonation Rule prohibits materially and falsely posing as, or falsely claiming affiliation with, a government entity or business in or affecting commerce. It is not a blanket rule for every private-person impersonation or every possible legal remedy. |
| Money or payment credentials may be exposed | Your bank, card issuer, payment provider, or cryptocurrency platform, using a contact route you independently know is genuine | Ask what steps are available to secure the account and stop or dispute the transaction. Preserve the payment details for any complaint. |
IC3 says accounts impersonating IC3 should be reported to the social platform’s safety or support contacts. It also states that it does not maintain a social media presence, so an account claiming to be IC3 should not be treated as official.
What if someone has taken over my real account?
A fake profile and a compromised account are different problems. If you cannot access your account, see unfamiliar activity, or suspect someone has your login, use the service’s official recovery process from a trusted device.
- Change the affected password and secure the email account used to recover it.
- Review active sessions and connected apps; revoke ones you do not recognize where the service allows it.
- Enable multi-factor authentication if available. A compatible FIDO2 security key can be an option for an account that supports security keys.
- Never give a one-time authentication code to someone who contacts you, even if they claim to be support staff or a trusted person.
The FBI warns that social engineering can be used to obtain codes and take over accounts, and advises enabling two-factor or multi-factor authentication without sharing codes over email, text, or messaging apps.
What should an organization do if someone is pretending to be the business?
Handle the public-facing impersonation and any possible internal compromise as related but distinct issues. Notify security, communications, legal, and executive contacts through established channels; do not reply using contact details supplied by the suspected impersonator.
- Ask the platform to review the fake account, message, website, or media through its current reporting process.
- Check whether an employee account, customer information, or payment approval process may also be compromised. If so, involve the organization’s security response process rather than treating it only as a reputation issue.
- Warn affected staff or customers through a channel the organization controls, with a clear way to verify legitimate payment or account requests.
- Preserve relevant URLs, posts, messages, reports, and transaction records for the organization’s response and any official complaint.
The reviewed U.S. sources do not prescribe a universal organizational incident-response process, so adapt these actions to your established policies and obligations.
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What do U.S. impersonation-scam figures tell us?
The FTC reported $3.5 billion in consumer-reported losses to imposter scams in 2025, and said nearly one in three consumer fraud reports concerned imposter scams. The reported scams reached consumers through text, phone, email, social media, search results, and other channels. These figures cover imposter scams broadly—not AI-generated impersonation specifically—and reports are not a count of every incident.
In an April 2025 release, the FTC reported $2.95 billion in consumer losses to scams impersonating businesses and government in 2024. That is an earlier figure with a narrower description than the FTC’s later 2025 total for all imposter scams; the two figures should not be treated as the same category or directly combined. The cited official sources do not establish an AI-only prevalence figure.
What if I am outside the United States?
The FTC and IC3 reporting routes above are U.S.-specific. Elsewhere, report the content through the platform and look up the current fraud-reporting, consumer-protection, or law-enforcement channel for your own country. The available information here does not establish a single worldwide takedown procedure or legal remedy; applicable options depend on the country, platform, type of impersonation, and harm.
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