Fake WhatsApp Number Pretending to Be You: What to Do

Your cousin forwards a screenshot. A WhatsApp number you have never seen is using your profile photo and your name, telling people you changed phones and asking to borrow money until tomorrow. Your own WhatsApp works normally. Someone has built a copy of you on a different number.

The short answer: the people the fake number has messaged should report and block it from inside the chat, because that is the only reporting route WhatsApp offers. Meanwhile you warn your contacts from your real number, save the evidence, and make sure nobody pays.

This guide explains how to tell a copy from a hack, what your friends need to tap, what WhatsApp does after a report, and what to do in Malaysia if money has already gone.

Last checked: 5 October 2026.

#What Should You Do If a Fake WhatsApp Number Is Pretending to Be You?

WhatsApp's own page on someone pretending to be you says to report the user and any suspicious messages, and that blocking stops that number contacting you again. In practice that means three things today. Ask every friend who received a message to open that chat, report the number and block it. Post a status and message close contacts from your real number, giving your real number. Screenshot everything first. If anyone in Malaysia has already transferred money, they should call the National Scam Response Centre on 997 and then their bank. WhatsApp decides whether to ban the fake number, and nobody outside WhatsApp can do that for you.

#Is It a Fake Number or Is Your Own WhatsApp Hacked?

The two problems look the same to your friends but need different fixes. A copy runs on someone else's SIM. A hack means a stranger is inside your own account. WhatsApp's privacy settings page notes that there is no way to hide a phone number on WhatsApp, so the number shown in the chat is the quickest test.

If messages are coming from your own number, stop here and read our guide to a hacked WhatsApp and the six-digit code scam. The steps below assume your account is still yours.

#Why You Cannot Report the Fake Number Yourself

WhatsApp's page on reporting and blocking is blunt: the only way to report someone is to follow the in-app reporting process. Reports are filed from a chat, and when you report someone in an individual chat, WhatsApp receives up to five of the last messages they sent you. At the time of writing we could not find any web form for the person being impersonated, unlike Instagram or Facebook.

That has a practical consequence. If the fake number has never messaged you, you have no chat to report from, and the report that carries the evidence comes from the people it did message. Do not start a conversation with the fake number just to create a chat. That invites a reply, and arguing with an impostor tends to make things worse.

#How Your Friends Report and Block the Fake Number

Send this to each person who was contacted. WhatsApp's block and report steps work roughly like this, though labels vary by phone, app version and language:

1. Take screenshots of the chat and the profile first, because the chat stays but the fake may change its photo.
2. Open the chat with the fake number.
3. Tap the name or number at the top to open "Contact info".
4. Scroll down and tap "Report" followed by the number.
5. Leave the box to block the number ticked, then confirm "Report".

The reported number is not notified. WhatsApp's page says it receives the reported user ID, when the messages were sent and what type they were. Blocking stops further messages and calls from that number. If the impostor comes back on a new number, the same page says to block and report each new number.

WhatsApp's page on suspicious messages and scams also gives your friends a defence for next time. When a number not saved in their contacts messages them for the first time, WhatsApp may show what country the number is registered in and whether they share any groups. A "new number" with your photo and no groups in common is a strong warning sign. The same page suggests confirming identity with a voice or video call, which an impostor usually avoids.

#Warn Your Contacts Before More Messages Go Out

Your contacts are the ones at risk, so warn them from the number they already trust. A status update reaches the contacts allowed to see your status, and a direct message to family and close friends covers anyone who rarely checks statuses. Give your real number in full only in private messages, not in public posts. If your number is already being passed around, see what to do when someone shares your number in a WhatsApp group.

• English: "Someone is using my photo and name on a different WhatsApp number and asking for money. That is not me. Please do not reply or transfer anything. Report and block the number from the chat. My number has not changed."
• Bahasa Malaysia: "Ada orang guna gambar dan nama saya dengan nombor WhatsApp lain untuk minta duit. Itu bukan saya. Jangan balas dan jangan pindahkan wang. Sila report dan block nombor itu dalam chat. Nombor saya tidak berubah."
• Chinese: "有人用我的照片和名字开了另一个WhatsApp号码向人借钱，那不是我。请不要回复，也不要转账。请在聊天里举报并封锁那个号码。我的号码没有换。"

Do not post the fake number publicly with accusations about who owns it. Numbers can be recycled or registered with someone else's identity, and naming the wrong person creates a second problem. Our guide to warning friends when messages go out in your name has more on the wording.

#Evidence Checklist: What to Save Before It Disappears

A fake number can change its photo, delete messages or vanish once it is blocked. Collect the evidence early, especially if money is involved or the copies keep coming back. WhatsApp's reporting page suggests screenshots of the messages, calls or profile details, and a backup of the chat history so you have a record if asked.

• The fake phone number in full, copied as text, plus the name it displays.
• Screenshots from each friend of the whole conversation, with the date and time visible.
• Screenshots of any bank account, e-wallet or DuitNow details the impostor sent, and the amounts asked for.
• Transfer receipts from anyone who paid, with the time of the transfer.
• The date each friend reported the number, and any acknowledgement WhatsApp showed.
• A screenshot of your own WhatsApp profile, showing your real number.
• A dated list of every new number if the impostor returns.

WhatsApp's page on profile photo screenshot blocking explains that supported Android and iOS versions stop people screenshotting another user's profile picture. Your friends may therefore need to screenshot the chat view, where the small profile photo and the number both show, rather than the full photo. Our guide to collecting evidence before you report covers keeping records in a form police and platforms accept.

#Lock Down Your Profile Photo and About

You cannot stop someone reusing a photo they already have, and photos are often copied from other social media too. You can make your WhatsApp profile less useful to the next impostor. WhatsApp's privacy settings page says that by default any user can see your profile photo.

1. Open WhatsApp "Settings", then "Privacy".
2. Tap "Profile photo" and choose "My contacts" or "My contacts except...".
3. Do the same for "About" and "Last seen and online".
4. Check "Groups" so strangers cannot add you to groups where your photo and number are visible.

This limits what unknown numbers see from now on. It does not remove a photo the impostor has already saved, and it does not hide your number in groups, which WhatsApp says is not currently possible.

#If Someone Already Sent Money in Malaysia

Once money has moved, this is a fraud case first and a WhatsApp problem second. The government's NSRC 997 page says to call the National Scam Response Centre on 997 within 24 hours of discovering the scam, so authorities can try to block the accounts and transactions, then contact the bank and lodge a police report. The person who paid should make the call, because the transfer is from their account.

• Police: MCMC's complaint page lists cheating by personation under the Penal Code as a matter for PDRM. Bring the evidence checklist above. See what to bring to a police report for a fuller list.
• Incident reporting: CyberSecurity Malaysia's Cyber999 service takes computer security incident reports and helps Malaysian users escalate abuse reports. It does not ban WhatsApp numbers.
• You as the person impersonated: a police report in your own name records that the copy is not you, which helps if friends or a bank later ask questions.

This is general information, not legal advice. If the impersonation is part of a wider campaign against you or your business, a lawyer can explain the options under Malaysian law.

#What WhatsApp Will and Will Not Do After a Report

Set your expectations early, because WhatsApp's process is quiet. Its reporting page says it might ban accounts that it believes break its Terms of Service, that it may do so without notification, and that a report will not necessarily lead to a ban. WhatsApp acknowledges a report but says it will not contact the reporter again.

• You will not get a case number, a decision or a reason.
• The fake number may simply stop working one day, or carry on if WhatsApp sees no breach.
• There is no appeal or escalation route for the reporter.
• Each new number the impostor uses needs its own report and block.

WhatsApp's page on account bans lists scams and activity that puts users' safety at risk among the reasons it bans accounts. Whether a particular number meets that bar is WhatsApp's decision alone.

#Offers to Trace or Ban the Number Are a Second Scam

People who have just been impersonated get approached by "experts" who promise to find out who owns the number or get it banned for a fee. WhatsApp's account bans page states that third-party services cannot ban a WhatsApp account or remove a ban, and that only WhatsApp can do either. Tracing a number's owner is a matter for the police, through legal process.

Do not try to unmask the impostor yourself, buy a lookup from a data broker, or send threats to the number. That can expose you legally and rarely ends the impersonation.

#When a Case Review Makes Sense

For many people, a few accurate reports, a clear warning to contacts and some patience are enough. Outside help is worth considering when the copies keep returning across WhatsApp and other platforms, when your customers are being asked to pay, or when the impersonation is tied to a takeover of your own accounts. SocialSafe by AwareXone, AwareXone's recovery and digital identity service, reviews the situation first and tells you plainly whether the official routes have anything more to give. We work only through WhatsApp's own reporting and lawful channels, we cannot ban a number, and the decision always rests with WhatsApp. You can start from the recovery hub, and our Trust Center explains what we will never ask for, including your codes.

#Frequently Asked Questions