On this page
1. First steps in every case
- Keep evidence before you report: the exact URL of the account or page, dated screenshots, messages received. Our guide on saving evidence explains how.
- Report the account to the platform using the impersonation option. Our platform guides give the right form: Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, WhatsApp, X.
- Warn your family and your audience: "A fake account is going around in my name. Do not reply, and never send money or codes."
- Secure your accounts: a new password (email first), two-factor authentication.
2. The right service for your situation
| What is happening | Where to go |
|---|---|
| A fake website, fake message or fake account used for a scam | Forward the message or link to suspect@safeonweb.be (Centre for Cybersecurity Belgium) |
| An intimate image of you (real or AI-generated) is shared without your consent | Institute for the Equality of Women and Men: "report" form on aide.igvm-iefh.belgium.be, or 02 233 44 00. The Institute explains your rights and helps get the images removed, never without your consent |
| The victim is a minor (intimate photo, blackmail) | Child Focus, 116 000, free |
| Someone threatens to share an image unless you pay | Do not pay, stop replying, keep the evidence and go to the police |
| Credit or an account opened in your name | Your bank, then check your file for free at the Central Individual Credit Register of the National Bank of Belgium |
| Your lost or stolen ID card may have been used | Check its status on checkdoc.be |
3. Filing a complaint
File a complaint at the police station of your police zone, with your evidence printed or on a USB stick. In Belgium, online identity theft is usually prosecuted according to the facts: harassment, computer crime, or non-consensual sharing of sexual images. The police choose the legal qualification: just describe what happened.
Get fake accounts in your name taken down
If fake accounts, fake profiles or content use your name, face or voice, our fake profile and impersonation removal service acts to get them taken down: reports on the right grounds, follow-ups, then daily monitoring for accounts that come back. We work in Belgium, Switzerland and Luxembourg as well as France. If it cannot wait, see our emergency response.
See pricingFAQ
The fake account is hosted abroad. Can the Belgian police act?
Yes, to record the complaint and investigate. To get the account closed, reporting it to the platform is still the fastest route: large platforms must handle reports from people in Europe (EU Digital Services Act).
Do I have to send my ID card to the platform?
Some platforms ask for it to confirm you are the person being impersonated. Send it only through the platform's official form, never by message to someone who says they can help.
How long does removal take?
It depends on the platform and on the quality of the report. A complete report (link to the fake account, link to your real account, screenshots) succeeds more often.