Skip to content
    HackFirstAid.com

    Deepfake or AI impersonation of you: what to do

    Fake images, videos or voice clips of you are circulating, or someone is impersonating you with AI. Save evidence, report to the platforms, warn the people who matter and set up a family code word.

    Do right now

    · Within minutes

    1. If the fake is sexual or intimate imagery of you, switch to the Sextortion playbook and use takeitdown.ncmec.org (under 18) or stopncii.org (18+) — both work for AI-generated images.

      Take It Down (under 18)StopNCII.org (18+)

    2. Capture the original: URL, file, platform, account that posted it, date/time, and screenshots of the post and any captions or comments.

    Do today

    · Within hours

    1. Report to the platform under their specific 'synthetic / manipulated media' category — Meta 'Manipulated media', X 'Misleading and deceptive identities', TikTok 'Synthetic and manipulated media', YouTube 'Misinformation' + privacy complaint.

    2. Get ahead of the narrative — a short message ('There's an AI-generated video of me circulating, it isn't real, here's the platform report') to your employer's comms team, family, and anyone likely to be asked about it.

    3. If the deepfake is being used to commit fraud (a fake CEO authorising a wire), notify the bank in writing and provide voice/video samples of you for comparison if requested.

    4. If it's a voice clone scamming your family: pick a family code word right now — any call asking for emergency money must be verified by code word. Tell elderly parents and grandparents directly.

    5. Lower your audio footprint where you can — old voicemail greetings, podcast clones, public TikTok/Reels can all be training material.

    Do this week

    · Within days

    1. File takedown requests directly with hosting providers if the fake is on a small site; preserve every piece of evidence in a folder you don't touch.

    2. Subscribe to Google Alerts (or stronger mention monitoring) for your name. If the deepfake is professional or motivated, consider a defamation / right-of-publicity lawyer.

    3. 🇺🇸 US

      File a report.

      FBI IC3 (US)ReportFraud.ftc.gov
    4. 🇨🇦 CA

      Report to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and local police; Office of the Privacy Commissioner for privacy violations.

      CAFC

    Ongoing protection

    · Build the habit

    1. Embrace the boring countermeasures: hardware security keys, code words, callback verification, two-person rules for any unusual money request. None novel; all work.

    Related situations

    Sextortion / Intimate Image Blackmail

    Being blackmailed with intimate images? Don't pay. Save evidence, stop contact and get images taken down.

    Doxxed — Personal Info Posted Publicly

    Home address or phone number posted online? Stay safe, get it taken down and remove your data from brokers.

    Email or Social Media Hacked

    Locked out of email, Facebook or Instagram? Recover the account, lock out the hacker and stop scams sent in your name.

    Is this happening at work?

    If a business account, company device or customer data is involved, the steps change. Get help built for organizations.

    Go to business help →
    · Printed October 7, 2026