Hacked and Fake Accounts
Your account should represent you, and only you should have access to your account. If someone gains access to your account, or creates an account to pretend to be you or someone else, we want to help. We also encourage you to let us know about accounts that represent fake or fictional people, pets, celebrities or organizations.
Hacked Accounts
Try Guided Help
Our guided help tool can walk you through the steps to resolve your issue.
Get StartedIf you think your account has been hacked or taken over, you should visit this page to secure your account. We'll ask you to change your password and review recent login activity.
Your account may have been hacked if you notice:
- Your email or password have changed.
- Your name or birthday have changed.
- Friend requests have been sent to people you don't know.
- Messages have been sent that you didn't write.
- Posts have been made that you didn't create.
You can also review these tools and tips to help keep your account safe. You may also want to learn how to protect yourself against malicious software that can potentially compromise your account.
Note: If the email associated with your Facebook account has changed, you can reverse this. When an email is changed, we send a message to the previous email account with a special link. You can click this link to reverse the email change and secure your account.
Try Guided Help
Our guided help tool can walk you through the steps to resolve your issue.
Get Started If your friend can't get into their account because it was taken over by someone else, please show them the Hacked Accounts section of the Help Center so we can help. They can also visit this page to begin securing their account.
If your friend is medically incapacitated and unable to use Facebook, we might be able to help you remove their account. If your friend's condition is reversible, we can deactivate the account instead of deleting it. That way, when this person recovers they can log back in and reopen the account.
If your friend passed away, please report their profile to be memorialized. Memorializing an account helps keep it secure by preventing anyone from logging into it.
Impersonation Accounts
If you have a Facebook account and want to report someone that's pretending to be you or someone you know:
- Go to the profile of the impersonating account
- If you can't find it, try searching for the name used on the profile or asking your friends if they can send you a link to it.
- Click
on the cover photo and select Report
- Follow the on-screen instructions for impersonation to file a report
If you don't have a Facebook account and want to report someone that's pretending to be you or someone you know, please fill out this form.
Accounts and Pages that impersonate other people go against our Community Standards and aren't allowed on Facebook. If you see an account that's pretending to be you, someone you know or a public figure (example: celebrity, politician), we encourage you to let us know. You can report potentially impersonating accounts to us even if you don't have a Facebook account.
To report someone who's pretending to be you or someone else, first determine if you're reporting a profile or a Page.
Over the next few months, we're updating how www.facebook.com looks. Learn more about how to switch between New and Classic Facebook. Click below to go to the directions for the version you're using.
New Facebook
How to report a profile or Page
If you have a Facebook account and want to report a profile or Page:
- Go to the profile or Page of the impersonating account.
- If you can't find it, try searching for the name used on the profile or Page or asking your friends if they can send you a link to it.
- Click
under the cover photo.
- If you're reporting a Page, select Find Support or Report Page. If you're reporting a profile, select Find Support or Report profile.
- Follow the on-screen instructions for impersonation to file a report.
Classic Facebook
How to report a profile
If you have a Facebook account and want to report a profile:
- Go to the profile of the impersonating account.
- If you can't find it, try searching for the name used on the profile or asking your friends if they can send you a link to it.
- Click
on the cover photo and select Find Support or Report Profile.
- Follow the on-screen instructions for impersonation to file a report.
How to report a Page
- Go to the impersonating Page.
- Click
from the top right and select Find Support or Report Page.
- Select Scams and Fake Pages.
- Select the option that best describes the impersonating Page.
- Click Send.
You can report an impersonating Facebook account by filling out a form.
Note: You can also report impersonating accounts in Messenger. Learn how to report someone that's pretending to be you or someone else in Messenger.
If you'd like to request a copy of data that was posted to an account impersonating you, you should first contact a lawyer or your local law enforcement agency and discuss this issue with them.
If you decide to pursue legal action, we recommend having the lawyer or officer review our operational guidelines and contact us by following the directions listed there. Once they contact us, we'll be able to communicate with them regarding this issue. Please be aware that there are situations where we may be unable to retrieve the information you have requested due to technical limitations.
Learn how to report an account that is impersonating you.
On Facebook, public figures can include celebrities, athletes, bands, politicians, journalists and creators. Pages and profiles that impersonate public figures or other people go against our Community Standards and aren’t allowed on Facebook.
When interacting with public figures, you should look for a blue badge
on their Page or profile. The blue badge means Facebook verified that this is an authentic Page or profile.
How to find the blue badge
To make sure a public figure is verified:
- Open Facebook on your computer.
- At the top, search for the Page or profile and click
.
- Click the public figure’s Page or profile.
- Look for the
icon next to their name.
Note: While many public figures work with Facebook to verify their Page or profile, keep in mind that not all public figures have blue badges.
How to spot impersonating accounts
Be careful if a public figure does something like:
- Ask you for payment in the form of gift cards, money transfer or through Messenger.
- Ask for your financial information as part of a giveaway, or direct you to a suspicious link or website asking for your personal information.
- Use a suspicious Page or profile URL that doesn’t seem associated with the public figure.
Fake Accounts
Over the next few months, we're updating how www.facebook.com looks. Learn more about how to switch between New and Classic Facebook. Click below to go to the directions for the version you're using.
New Facebook
A fake account is an account where someone is pretending to be something or someone that doesn't exist. Fake accounts can include accounts for fake or made up people, pets, celebrities or organizations. To report a fake account:
- Go to the profile of the fake account.
- If you can't find it, try searching for the name used on the profile or asking your friends if they can send you a link to it.
- Click
under the cover photo.
- Follow the on-screen instructions for fake accounts to file a report.
If an account is pretending to be you or someone you know, you can learn how to report it for impersonation.
Classic Facebook
A fake account is an account where someone is pretending to be something or someone that doesn't exist. Fake accounts can include accounts for fake or made up people, pets, celebrities or organizations. To report a fake account:
- Go to the profile of the fake account.
- If you can't find it, try searching for the name used on the profile or asking your friends if they can send you a link to it.
- Click
on the cover photo and select Find Support or Report Profile.
- Follow the on-screen instructions for fake accounts to file a report.
If an account is pretending to be you or someone you know, you can learn how to report it for impersonation.