How to Report a Fake Facebook Profile Using Your Name in Pakistan

To report a fake Facebook profile using your name or photos, open the profile, click the three-dot Options button below the cover photo, choose Report profile and follow the prompts. You can report even without a Facebook account. If the fake profile asks people for money or harasses you, also report it to NCCIA.

It usually starts with a message from a cousin: "Is this your new account?" The profile has your photo, your name and a few of your friends. Soon it is asking those friends for a loan through a mobile wallet. We read Facebook's own help pages and the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016 on 1 October 2026. The steps below follow both.

Facebook does not allow profiles that pretend to be you

Facebook says profiles and Pages that impersonate other people go against its Community Standards and are not allowed. That covers a profile pretending to be you, someone you know or a public figure. Anyone can report one, with or without a Facebook account.

Impersonation means pretending to be a real person. A fan page that clearly says it is a fan page is not the same thing. A profile that uses your photos and name to talk to your contacts is.

A fake profile is different from a hacked one. If someone has taken over your real account, recover that first. Our steps to recover a hacked Facebook account in Pakistan start at facebook.com/hacked.

Report the fake profile in four clicks

Go to the fake profile, click Options below the cover photo, select Report profile and follow the prompts. For a fake Page, choose Report Page instead. If the faker has blocked you, ask a friend to send you the link or report it for you.

1. Find the fake profile. Search for the name, or ask a friend to send you a link to it. Fakers often block the real person so they cannot see it.
2. Click Options, the three dots below the cover photo.
3. Select Report profile. For a Page, select Report Page.
4. Follow the prompts. Say the profile is pretending to be you.

These are Facebook's steps for a computer. The phone app has its own version on Facebook's help page, under the iPhone and Android tabs.

Ask the friends it contacted to report it as well. Before you report, take screenshots of the profile, its URL and any messages it sent. Once Facebook removes it, that evidence is gone.

Use Facebook's form if you have no account

Facebook has a separate contact form for people who have no Facebook account, or who have lost access to theirs. Its help page links the form under "Report without an account". You need the link to the fake profile.

The Facebook impersonation form is the route for a parent reporting a fake account of a child who is not on Facebook, or for someone who left Facebook years ago. Facebook's help page does not say how long a review takes or whether it will ask for ID, so we do not give a time.

A fake profile can be a crime under PECA

Using someone's identity information without permission is an offence under section 16 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016. It carries up to three years in prison, a fine of up to Rs 5 million, or both.

We read the Act, as amended up to 2025, on the Pakistan Code website. Three sections fit most fake profile cases:

• Section 16, identity information: obtaining, using or transmitting another person's identity information without authorisation. Up to three years, a fine of up to Rs 5 million, or both.
• Section 20, dignity: publicly showing or sending information you know is false, which harms a person's reputation or privacy. Up to three years, a fine of up to Rs 1 million, or both.
• Section 24, cyber stalking: using the internet to harass, coerce or intimidate someone, including sharing their photo or video without consent in a harmful way. Up to three years, a fine of up to Rs 1 million, or both. Up to five years if the victim is a minor.

Sections 16 and 20 also let the victim apply to "the Authority" to block or remove the information. Since the 2025 amendment, the Act defines that Authority as the Social Media Protection and Regulatory Authority. We could not confirm on an official page that it is taking applications yet.

Report to NCCIA when the fake profile asks for money or threatens you

Report it to the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) if the fake profile asks your contacts for money, posts edited pictures, or threatens you. Under section 29 of the Act, NCCIA investigates these offences. Bring screenshots, links and the names of people it contacted.

1. Collect the evidence: the profile link, screenshots of the profile, posts and messages, with dates.
2. List who it contacted and what it asked for. A friend who sent money should keep the payment receipt.
3. File the complaint with NCCIA. Our page on how to report a cybercrime in Pakistan covers the complaint itself.
4. Tell the bank or wallet helpline at once if anyone paid the faker. That is a separate and faster step than the police complaint.

The NCCIA complaint website blocked our automated check on 1 October 2026. That is a bot filter, not proof that it is down, so open it in a normal browser.

Then warn people. A short post on your real account saying "That other profile is not me, do not send money" reaches the same friends the faker is targeting.

Common questions

Can I report a fake Facebook profile without an account?

Yes. Facebook says you can report impersonating profiles or Pages without a Facebook account, using its contact form for people who have no account or lost access.

How long does Facebook take to remove a fake profile?

Facebook's help page does not give a time, and we did not file a test report. Keep your screenshots in case the profile stays up and you need to go to NCCIA.

Is making a fake Facebook profile a crime in Pakistan?

It can be. Section 16 of PECA 2016 punishes using someone's identity information without permission with up to three years in prison, a fine of up to Rs 5 million, or both.

The fake profile blocked me. How do I report it?

Ask a friend who can see it to send you the link, or to report it themselves. You can also use Facebook's form for people without access.

Should I message the fake profile?

No. Do not argue with it or threaten it. Screenshot everything, report it to Facebook, and warn your contacts from your real account.

Someone made a fake profile of my child. What do I do?

Report it to Facebook, using the form if your child has no account. If it shares the child's pictures or contacts them, report it to NCCIA. PECA sets higher penalties when the victim is a minor.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

Last checked on 1 October 2026. We read Facebook's Help Center pages on reporting an impersonating profile or Page, including its report without an account section, and sections 2, 16, 20, 24 and 29 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016, as amended up to 2025, on pakistancode.gov.pk. We did not file a test report, so we give no removal time. NCCIA's website returned a bot check to our automated request, so its helpline number is not given here.