What can I do if someone has used my information to make a fake profile?

If your information has been used to create a fake social media profile, the first step is to contact the agency concerned and ask for it to be removed. Many of the larger social media sites (Facebook, Instagram, X etc.) now provide the ability for you to notify them if a fake profile has been set up in your name.

You should also try and work out how the person was able to access your information – it is possible you may need to check any other associated accounts (particularly if you use the same password for multiple sites).

Where your information has been collected by unfair or unlawful means (for instance through your Facebook account being hacked), this may raise issues we can look at under the Privacy Act. However, in order for us to look into this, we’d need to know who obtained your information, which is often difficult to find out.

For more information on how to protect yourself online, or for what you can do if something has gone wrong, we suggest you check out Netsafe(external link).

Updated October 2025