Report Explicit AI Images of Me Used in a Romance Scam

Someone you have never met believes they are in a relationship with you. A stranger has been using your name and face, and has sent them explicit images and videos made with AI to make the story look real. You may only have found out because the person contacted you, or because a friend saw something. This is a form of image-based abuse, and it is not your fault. This guide sets out the official reporting routes on Meta and Telegram, what to record, and how to warn people without spreading the images further.

Last checked: 10 November 2026.

#Quick Answer

If someone is sending explicit AI images of you to scam people, report the impostor accounts on Facebook and Instagram for impersonation, report any explicit content through Meta's tools, and report Telegram accounts with its Report button. Ask targets for links, never images, and report the scam to police. Official reporting is free.

#How This Scam Works

BBC News reported in November 2026 that the actor Ioan Gruffudd warned fans after a woman told him she believed she had been in a relationship with him for over a year. He said she showed him hundreds of AI images and videos sent by someone claiming to be him. According to the report, contact began through a Facebook Page about a TV series he appeared in, and the person behind it asked her to move to Telegram, where the images were sent. He urged people not to send money, to block anyone claiming to be him, and to report the person to the police. You do not need to be famous for this to happen. The same pattern targets people of any profile.

#Report Path Map

Several things usually need reporting at once: the impostor account, the explicit content, and the private chats. Use this map to make sure nothing is missed.

#Step 1: Record Links, Not Images

You need enough to show the platforms and police what is happening. You do not need the images themselves, and collecting them can add to the harm.

1. Copy the link to each impostor Facebook Page, profile or Instagram account.
2. Note any Telegram usernames or t.me links the scammer used.
3. Write down dates, and the name each account used.
4. Screenshot the impostor profile header, not any explicit content.
5. Ask people who were contacted for account names and links only. Tell them clearly not to forward the images to you.

#Step 2: Report Impersonation on Facebook and Instagram

Facebook's guide to reporting a profile or Page pretending to be you says to go to the profile or Page, click Options below the cover photo, and report it. It says you can report impostor profiles or Pages even without a Facebook account, using a contact form. Instagram's guide to reporting impersonation says to open the account, tap Options, then Report, Report account, and It's pretending to be someone else. Instagram says the report is anonymous.

#Step 3: Report Explicit Content on Meta

Meta's Adult sexual exploitation policy says it removes intimate images shared without the consent of the person pictured, and that this "includes digitally created or AI-generated imagery". It also lists a report from the person depicted as one of the signals it uses. Meta's page on reporting non-consensual intimate images says you can report through the normal reporting tools on Facebook, Instagram, Threads and Messenger, and that a specialised form is available to US residents.

#Step 4: Report Telegram Accounts

Telegram's FAQ says all its apps have a Report button for messages. On Android you tap the message, on iOS you press and hold it, and on desktop you right-click it, then choose Report and a reason. For takedowns by email it gives abuse@telegram.org and asks you to include links. It adds that if a scammer is pretending to be you, you can contact @NoToScam. If you are not in the chat yourself, ask the person who was contacted to report it.

#Step 5: Prevent Re-Sharing If It Fits Your Case

Meta points adults to StopNCII.org, a free tool that creates a digital fingerprint of an image on your own device. StopNCII says the image itself does not leave your device; only the fingerprint is shared with participating companies. StopNCII says you can use it if you are the person in the image, were 18 or older when it was taken, are over 18 now, still have the image or video on your device, and the image shows you nude, semi-nude or in a sexual act. Its FAQ says this can include manipulated images and deepfakes. If you do not have copies, do not go looking for them. If an image shows you when you were under 18, use NCMEC's Take It Down instead, which Meta points minors to, and you can also report it to NCMEC's CyberTipline. Take It Down asks you not to send, share or download any image to use it.

#Step 6: Report to Police and Warn People

• Report the scam to your local police, with the links and dates you recorded.
• Post once on your real accounts that you never ask for money and never move chats to Telegram.
• Describe the scam in words. Never share the images, even blurred, to warn people.
• Do not message, pay or negotiate with the person behind the accounts.

#What to Say to People Who Were Targeted

People who were scammed may feel embarrassed, angry or still unsure whether it was really you. If one of them contacts you, keep your reply short and calm. Confirm that you never contacted them, that the images are fake, and that you do not ask for money. Ask them to stop replying to the scammer, report the account on the app where it contacted them, and report what happened to their local police. Ask them to share only account names and links with you. Do not ask for or accept the images, even as proof.

#What Only the Platforms and Police Can Decide

Only the platforms can remove accounts and content, and only the police can investigate the person behind them. New accounts may appear after old ones are removed. For deepfake videos posted publicly, see our guide to removing an AI deepfake video of you. If fans are being targeted by a fake celebrity account, see our romance scam report guide. If anyone threatens to share images unless you pay, see reporting sextortion on Telegram.

#When It Is Safer to Get Expert Help

The real risks are plain. Images spread across several apps at once, impostor accounts return under new names, and people who were scammed may contact you upset or angry. Doing this alone is draining.

If the accounts keep returning or you would rather not handle the reports yourself, having an experienced team take the load is the safer choice. AwareXone maps every account, prepares report text you submit through each platform's own tools, and tracks what has been removed. We never ask you to send us the images, and we never ask for passwords or codes. We cannot promise every copy will be removed. Apply for case review through our social media content removal service, and read how we work on our trust page.

#Frequently Asked Questions