Technology isn't all bed of roses where you can marvel at the wonderful innovations built and offered in this age of smart and modern world. Often times, it's a devil's playground.
Cybercriminals all over the world have gone too far of using fake identities to commit crimes and illegal activities online to amass huge amount of money or to hack a system to bring down companies. There are also hackers who stole identities of a person, group, or company as their way of protest. Either way, these activites fall under the cybercriminal law.
One of the platforms where cybercrimes are usually perpetrated is on the social media network like Facebook. Because it's easy. A person or group that has illegal interests can merely copy and use another person's Facebook profile by creating a similar account and pose it as theirs. Once done, these cybercriminals can do whatever they want to the real owner's circle of friends. They can post nasty or scandalous contents or extort money without the knowledge of the person they're stealing identity.
Many times it was already too late for the person to find out that his or her profile have been compromised. Unfortunate things coud happen to a person whose identity on Facebook had been hijacked. Worst case scenario, the person could go to jail if he or she can't prove innocence to a crime committed on the worldwide web.
So here's our tip. As soon as you discovered that you have a similar name(s) and you're in doubt of its authenticity, report it immediately if you believe it's impersonating your account. Sometimes, these fake accounts uses a blank profile image or have friends that looks suspicious. Go to Facebook's Help Center and follow the instructions given on how to report an account.
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.
- Tap (•••) below the cover photo and select Find Support or Report Profile.
- Follow the on-screen instructions for impersonation to file a report.
- Open the Facebook app for iOS or Android.
- Go to the impersonating Page.
- Tap (•••) 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.
- Tap Send.
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.