Fake Social Media Accounts: Laws and Action You Can Take      in   India (2025)

Fake Social Media Accounts: Laws and Legal Action You Can Take

The present time is the era of social media and information technology. Online presence has become as important as a person's offline presence. There are many social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, etc., where one has to create a profile to mark one's presence, and through that profile only, a person can establish contact with his family members, friends, colleagues, co-workers etc., in the online world. As the online presence of people is increasing, many dangers related to it are emerging, the most dangerous of which is the creation of fake social media account (fake profiles online).

Rise of Social Media and Its Risks

In India alone, the use of social media has increased a lot over the past ten years, with millions of people joining platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. While this fast growth has many benefits, it also brings online dangers — one of the most common problems is fake social media accounts. Acting like someone else and cheating through fake profiles has now become a serious concern for the police and cyber security teams.


Why Are Fake Profiles Created?
There are many reasons behind creating fake profiles:
1. Fake profiles are used by fraudsters to obtain your sensitive information such as debit card or credit card details, other financial details or personal information.
2. Fake profiles are also used to defame the other person out of revenge or to give mental harassment. For this, objectionable information, photos, videos etc., about the other person are created and uploaded on fake profiles.
3. Recently, many cases have come to light where a profile is created in the name of a relative or friend and money is asked for in the name of need.

Psychological Impact of Fake Profiles

Being targeted by a fake profile can cause emotional pain, shame, and even harm to someone’s personal or work image. Victims often feel helpless and worried, especially if private photos or wrong content is shared. In serious cases, people may feel alone or even lose money because of online bullying or fake accounts.

Emotional Stress Caused by Fake Profiles

Fake profiles not only cause money loss but also bring emotional stress. A person may feel scared, ashamed, or helpless when someone else uses their name or photo to share false things. This can hurt a person’s image or break trust between friends or family.

Law under IT Act

1. The most relevant section is Section 66D of the IT Act, which states that if any person, with the help of any communication device or computer resource, impersonates another person, then he/she shall be punishable with imprisonment of up to three years and fine of up to one lakh rupees.
2. Section 66C of the IT Act states that if any person fraudulently or dishonestly uses any electronic signature, password or any unique identification mark of any other person, then he shall be punishable with imprisonment of up to three years and fine of up to one lakh rupees.
These laws mean that if someone uses your photo, name, or online identity without your permission, they can be punished. The punishment can be jail for 3 years and a fine up to ₹1,00,000. This is to stop people from cheating or doing wrong things online.

Laws under the Indian Pinal Code/Bharatiya Nyaya Samhita, 2023

1. If a person uses a fake identity to cheat by concealing his real identity, then it is a punishable offense under Section 319(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Samhita, 2023 (Section 416 of IPC). There is a provision of punishment up to three years under this section. It does not matter whether the identity being used is a real person or a fictitious one.
2. If a person forges any document or electronic record with the intent to cheat (i.e. makes a fake document), then such person can be punished with imprisonment up to seven years under section 336(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Samhita, 2023 (Section 468 of IPC).

What Should a Person Do If They see Their Fake Profile?

Here’s how to report a fake profile and take legal steps
1. As soon as a person sees his/her fake profile, he/she should save the screenshot and URL link of that account as evidence?
2. One should issue a warning about that fake profile from his/her real profile so that people connected to his/her real profile become alert.
3. One should immediately contact the Grievance Officer of the platform on which the fake profile has been created and send screenshots and URL links of the fake profile.
4. With the help of the screenshot and URL link of the fake profile, you should register your complaint on the National Cyber ​​Crime Reporting Portal. On this portal, anyone can register their complaint online without any fee and can also check the status of their complaint.
5. If there is no response even after filing the complaint on the National Cyber ​​Crime Reporting Portal, then the complainant should go to the nearest cyber cell or police station and file a written complaint with evidence.
6. Some Social Media platforms have the option to report profiles. If such an option is available, then get your fake profiles reported by as many people as possible. By doing this, many times the fake profiles are removed by the platform itself.

Platform-Specific Policies

Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn have rules against fake profiles. People can report these fake accounts using tools in the app. Sometimes, the platform may ask for ID to prove who you are. If someone keeps breaking the rules, their account can be permanently removed. Also, if many people report the same fake account, the platform usually takes action faster.

Conclusion:

In today’s digital world, protecting your online identity is just as important as securing your home or wallet. Always stay alert, report fake social media accounts or fake profiles, and educate others about these laws. If you’ve ever faced a similar issue, don’t hesitate to speak up and take legal steps — help is available.