Fake profile, stolen photos: five checks before you send money

If someone you know only online asks for money, check their photos before you answer. The FTC’s February 2026 consumer alert tells people to run a reverse image search on a profile picture and ask whether it is tied to another name. If money has already left your account, skip to the last section and call your bank first.

Why a Scammer Borrows a Real Person’s Face

A fake profile needs a believable face and a reason never to meet. The FTC’s 2023 Data Spotlight on romance scams found the excuse is often built into the fake identity. A faraway military base is the most popular; “offshore oil rig worker” is another. An FTC alert from July 2023 says these scammers may steal photos of real military personnel for their profiles.

The person in those photos is being impersonated too. If that person is you, see the section near the end.

Some fake faces are invented rather than stolen. An FBI public service announcement from December 2024 warns that criminals use AI-generated images to make believable profile photos, and an invented face has no original anywhere to find.

The Money Signs That Matter Most

The FBI’s 2025 IC3 annual report recorded 23,159 confidence and romance fraud complaints and $929,287,469 in reported losses, up from $672,009,052 in 2024.

Government guidance keeps naming the same requests:

1. Money for a crisis. The FTC’s 2026 alert lists medical emergencies and tickets to visit you.

2. A payment that is hard to reverse. A wire through Western Union or MoneyGram, gift card numbers, a payment app or cryptocurrency (FTC, 2026). The FTC’s 2023 gift card guidance says only scammers will tell you to buy a gift card and hand over the numbers off the back.

3. An investment offer. The 2023 Data Spotlight describes scammers posing as successful crypto investors who offer to teach you. Crypto and bank wires made up more than 60% of romance scam losses reported to the FTC for 2022.

4. A quick move off the platform. Many people told the FTC the scammer moved the chat to WhatsApp, Google Chat or Telegram.

Five Checks on the Photos and the Person

Do these before any money moves.

1. Save Two or Three of Their Photos

Screenshots are fine. A clear, front-facing picture of one person works best, so crop out anyone else.

2. Run a Reverse Image Search on Each One

Google’s help page says results include websites with the image or a similar image. Look for the same picture under a different name, in a model’s portfolio or on a stock-photo site.

3. Search the Face as Well as the File

A reverse image search finds copies of one picture. A face search such as FaceSearch looks for the same face in other photos, which helps when a scammer has a whole album of one stolen identity. Upload the clearest photo to check whether a profile photo is stolen. Every match links to the page it came from, and the person is not notified. It covers the public web only, so dating-app profiles, private accounts and messages are out of reach. Finding nothing does not prove the person is real: their photos may never have been posted publicly, or the face may have been generated.

4. Read the Profile for What Doesn’t Fit

Scamwatch, the Australian government’s scam service, lists photos that look too professional or are blurry, an account that hasn’t been active long, very little personal information, few connections and few comments or likes from other people. Then search their claimed job plus “scammer” (FTC) and their name plus “scam” (Scamwatch).

5. Ask for a Live Video Call

Scamwatch says there always seems to be some reason a scammer can’t meet in person or video chat, often that they are overseas, somewhere remote or their technology isn’t working. A call still isn’t final proof. The FBI’s 2024 announcement says criminals generate video for real-time chats and make videos to “prove” an online contact is a real person. It lists warning signs such as irregular faces, lag and unrealistic movements.

If the Face on the Profile Is Yours

If a search turns up your own photos on someone else’s account, report it where it lives. Facebook’s help center says pretending to be someone else goes against its Community Standards, and you can report one without a Facebook account. Instagram’s impersonation form covers Instagram and Threads.

Where to Report, in This Order

1. Your bank or payment company, today. The 2025 IC3 report says time is of the essence after a fraudulent transfer: contact your financial institution immediately and ask for a recall of the funds. The FTC says to tell the company you paid through that it was a scam and ask for a refund.

2. The FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. The site says reports are shared with more than 2,000 law enforcers.

3. The FBI’s IC3 at ic3.gov. The 2025 report says to file regardless of the amount lost and to include the full transaction details. Its home page warns that IC3 never contacts people for money and does not work with law firms or crypto services offering to recover funds.

4. The site or app where the profile lives, so it can be removed.

Outside the US, use your local police and national fraud service. And stop replying. The FTC’s first tip is to cut off contact and talk to someone you trust.