A fake Snapchat account is pretending to be you. Here is what to do.

1. Fake account or hacked account?

Both look the same to your friends, but the fix is different.

A fake account can show your name and photo as its display name while using a completely different username. The username is unique: that is what you need to note.

2. Save evidence before you report

1. Write down the exact username of the fake account (not just the display name, which can change at any time).
2. Take screenshots of the profile, public Stories and any messages sent to your friends. Ask your friends to do the same before they block it: a lot of content on Snapchat disappears after it is viewed.
3. Note the date of each screenshot and of every report you file.
4. Don't contact the fake account or negotiate with it.

3. How to report the fake account on Snapchat

In the app (if you have a Snapchat account)

1. If the account added you or messages you: on the Chat screen, press and hold its name, tap Manage Friendship, then Report.
2. If it is a Public Profile: open the profile (search for its username), tap the menu icon at the top, then Report. Pick a reason and tap Submit.
3. Pick the most specific reason: the one saying the account is pretending to be you, if offered, rather than a general one like spam.
4. Report the content too: press and hold a Snap or Story and tap Report Snap; for a chat message, press and hold it and tap Report.

Snapchat says it does not share your identity with the person you report.

Without a Snapchat account (or if you can't use the app)

Snapchat has a web report form. Choose the reason that matches impersonation, give the fake account's username and attach your screenshots. If you are asked to prove you are the person being impersonated, send that proof only through the official form, never to an account claiming to be "Snapchat Support."

If nothing happens

Ask again through the form, mentioning your earlier reports. In the EU and the UK, Snapchat has dedicated forms for reporting illegal content under the Digital Services Act and the Online Safety Act. Our takedown request template gives you the wording.

4. Your private photos or Snaps are being shared

Fake accounts usually reuse your public photos, but sometimes they post Snaps you sent privately to one person, saved or photographed without you knowing.

1. Report every Snap, Story or message involved, not only the account.
2. For intimate images, use the dedicated reason: Snapchat added an option under nudity and sexual content to report that someone leaked or is threatening to leak your nudes. The same reason exists in the web form.
3. Stop it spreading elsewhere: if you have the images and were 18 or over in them, StopNCII.org creates a digital fingerprint on your device (the image never leaves it) that partner platforms use to block it. For images taken before you were 18, use Take It Down, which Snapchat uses.
4. In the US, the TAKE IT DOWN Act requires covered platforms to remove non-consensual intimate images, including AI-made ones, within 48 hours of a valid request; the FTC has enforced it since May 2026.
5. If the images are on other sites too, see our guide leaked content: what to do. If they are edited or AI-generated, see fake nude deepfakes.

5. If your real account was hacked

1. Change your password at accounts.snapchat.com (reset by text or email if needed).
2. Check the email address and phone number on your account in Settings, and fix them if they were changed.
3. Log out unknown devices from session management in Settings.
4. Turn on two-factor authentication, and secure your email account first.
5. If you can't log in, use Snapchat's official support site (account access section), never a "recovery service" that contacts you.
6. Tell your friends that messages sent during the takeover were not from you. If anyone lost money, report it to the FBI at ic3.gov in the US, or to Report Fraud in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (Police Scotland on 101 in Scotland).

6. When it is sextortion

If the account threatens to send intimate images (real or fake) to your friends or family unless you pay, that is sextortion. Don't pay: paying almost never ends it. Take screenshots, then block the account, report it with the nudes reason, and follow our full guide sextortion: what to do, which also lists emergency contacts. If you are under 18, see help for under-18s.

7. Warn your friends without boosting the fake account

1. Post a Story from your real account and message your contacts: "A fake Snapchat account is pretending to be me. Don't add it, don't reply, and never send it money or a code you get by text. Please report it."
2. Share the fake username, but don't repost its images.
3. Ask friends to report, then block it: several reports with the right reason help get it reviewed.
4. Check other apps: the same person may have made accounts elsewhere. See our Instagram and TikTok guides.

8. What the law says

Snapchat's Community Guidelines ban pretending to be someone you're not, sharing another person's private content without consent, sharing non-consensual intimate imagery and sextortion, so a well-made report usually works without going to court. The legal side depends on where you live. In the US, there is no single federal law against fake social media accounts, but several states, including California (Penal Code § 528.5) and Texas, have online impersonation laws, and using a fake identity to get money is fraud. In England and Wales, sharing or threatening to share an intimate image without consent is an offense (Sexual Offences Act 2003, section 66B, added by the Online Safety Act 2023); other fake-account cases may be harassment, fraud or a communications offense. This page is general information, not legal advice: for your own case, talk to a lawyer or the police. More in online impersonation: what to do.