Is Someone Impersonating You on Facebook
Facebook is one of the biggest social media platforms in the world and billions of people around the world have an active account with Facebook, which they access every day to contact their friends, family and colleagues. However, Facebook is still part of the world wide web and despite the security efforts, there still may be people trying to steal data and identities.
Signing up for Facebook is relatively easy. This is mainly because the site is mainly focused at growing social connections and as a rule of thumb, the more the merrier. But on the flip side, this makes it easier for scammers to re-create your profile and pretend to be you. Here are some ways you can find out if someone is impersonating you on Facebook.
4 Signs When Someone Impersonates You On
Social Media- Facebook
#1 Email Lookup
Search for your email address using the search function in Facebook. Scammers who try to steal your identity would most probably use an email that is very similar to your own on order to seem believable to others. You can also try combinations of your name and using them along with major email domains such as google.com, yahoo.com or Hotmail.com. One of this is bound to return a hit.
#2 Name Search
Another way you can locate a fake Facebook account is by searching for your name or close variations of it. Facebook allows the registration of multiple accounts under the same name and you shouldn’t be surprised if you come across someone with the exact same name as you. However, if any other details in their profile match yours, chances are that person isn’t whop they claim to be
#3 Reverse Image Search
Run a quick search of your profile pictures and a couple of others that have been popular on social media, with a decent amount of engagements. Such photos usually have wide reach and these are the first few pictures that Facebook will display to people who first visit your profile. Running a reverse image search would be able to tell you where else your images have been used, be it on Facebook or other social media platforms.
#4 Mutual Friends
Searching for names of mutual friends can also tell you if someone is pretending to be you on Facebook. Scammers would usually re-create a profile using your details and photos to make it look real and believable to the people who know you personally. Hence, there is a high chance that the scammer has also sent Facebook friend requests to the people you know, send text messages, with the main goal of impersonating you and getting your friends to “lend” them money or “help” you to pay something off.
These are just some of the ways that you can use to uncover anyone that is impersonating you on Facebook. Such fake accounts can prove to be quite damaging, not only to your image and integrity but it may also cause your friends, family and Facebook connections to lose some serious dough in the process. Be sure to run a simple check from time to time, to catch anyone who has been impersonating you on Facebook, before they do any real damage.
If you find an account that is impersonating you, go ahead and report the account to Facebook. The site has a zero-tolerance policy on such scam accounts and it should be taken down by them in the soonest. If you are curious as to who is really the person behind your fake account, run a quick phone number search. Facebook requires a real, working phone number when you register on their site so a quick search of the phone number through public records would be able to tell you who’s hiding behind your identity
Disclaimer:
The above is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute a legal advice or specific recommendations in any way.
