Incident guide
An account is impersonating you
Someone opened a profile or page with your name or pictures, or a page copies your business.
Work through the steps in order. Tick a step when it is done; ticks stay in this browser. If a step does not apply to you, skip it.
Is this your situation?
- Friends say they received a friend request or message from you that you did not send.
- A profile uses your name and photos.
- The profile asks your contacts for money or personal details.
- A page or shop presents itself as your business.
Steps
First 15 minutes
The same day
The following days
Do not
- Do not contact the person behind the fake or negotiate with them.
- Do not accuse a named person in public without proof.
- Do not open a lookalike account of your own in reply.
- Do not throw away the screenshots once the report is filed; the platform may remove the page.
Keep as evidence
- Screenshots of the profile, its address, its posts and its messages, with the dates.
- Messages from friends who were contacted by the fake.
- Your reports to the platform, with dates and reference numbers.
- Proof that the pictures and name are yours, such as the original posts.
Where to report
Anywhere
The platform or service concerned
When: Right away.
How: Use the impersonation report on the profile or page. Ask contacts to report it too.
Your bank or card issuer
When: If someone paid the fake account, they should call their bank.
How: Call the number on the back of your card or on the bank's official site, say what happened and ask for a reference number.
In Turkey
Police station, public prosecutor's office or the Cybercrime Branch Directorate (EGM)
When: If the account is used to defraud or threaten people, or you want the matter investigated.
How: Apply with a signed petition handed in person; the EGM FAQ says petitions are not accepted by e-mail. For offences that depend on a complaint, the person affected has to apply. Take the evidence you kept.
Access-block application for content that violates privacy (Law No. 5651, Article 9/A)
When: If the account shows private pictures of you.
How: Article 9/A allows a direct application for an access block. The EGM FAQ describes the route; read it before applying.
Reading from outside Turkey: contact your national CERT or the cybercrime unit of your local police. The Turkish channels above are for people in Turkey.
Incident log
Notes stay in this browser on this device and are never sent to ZEKASTRA or anyone else. Anyone who uses this browser profile can read them, so clear the log when you are done.
Sources
This guide is general information, not legal advice. It cannot recover an account or money. Follow the instructions of your bank, your employer and the authorities.