What to do if someone makes a fake intimate image of you

Treat a deepfake intimate image like any shared without consent: save evidence, report it, and contact eSafety or police.

4 minute readUpdated 2026-09-30

If someone creates a deepfake sexual image or video of you and shares it, treat it the same way you would treat any intimate image shared without your consent: save the evidence, report it to the platform, and report it to eSafety or police. Several countries now have laws that cover fake intimate images of you.

Deepfake sexual material is now illegal in several places

Australia passed the Criminal Code Amendment (Deepfake Sexual Material) Act 2024 specifically to target deepfake sexual images ¹. In Canada, the law covers AI-made depictions of identifiable people that are realistic enough to be mistaken for real videos or photos ². The United States passed the TAKE IT DOWN Act, which requires platforms to remove non-consensual intimate images including deepfakes when asked ³.

That does not mean you have to have broken a law to need help. Image-based abuse is when someone shares or threatens to share an intimate image of you without your consent, whether it is real or fake ⁴. Whether the image is real, altered or AI-generated, the response is the same.

Gather what you can without spreading the image

The moment you find out a deepfake exists, screenshot or photograph the URL or platform post showing it exists. You need proof it was there, the date you found it, and who posted it. Do not download the image itself, share it or send it to friends to prove what happened. Do not look at it more than you need to.

If it is in a message, take a screenshot of the sender's name, timestamp and URL. If it is on a social media platform, screenshot the post including the account name, date posted and any replies. If someone sent it to you directly, save the message thread showing when it arrived.

Take these screenshots and put them in a folder on your device with the date you found them. You will need them for a report.

Report it to the platform

Most platforms have a report button on any profile, message or post. Use it to report the content as non-consensual intimate imagery. The platform will see your report and is required by law in several countries to review and remove it when asked ³.

When you report, you will usually be asked which platform the image is on and what kind of abuse it is. Be specific: call it a deepfake sexual image, or describe it as a fake intimate image created without your consent. Do not guess about what happened or add detail you do not have. Stick to what you know.

Report and block are one press from any profile or message on Dateable. Report the account directly and the Dateable team will review it.

Do not pay, do not negotiate

If someone threatens to share the image unless you pay money or send intimate content, do not do either. This is blackmail and a serious crime. Do not reply, do not negotiate, do not send money ⁴.

I will not pay. I am reporting this to the platform and to police.

Then block them immediately and stop reading their messages. If they contact you through another account, do not engage. Save screenshots of each threat and each new contact.

Report to eSafety or police

After you report to the platform, report the deepfake to a regulator or police. This puts it on an official record and gives you access to specialist support.

In Australia, report to eSafety at esafety.gov.au ⁴.
In Canada, report to local police or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca.
In the US, report to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at ic3.gov.
In the UK, report to Report Fraud at reportfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040.
In New Zealand, report to police at police.govt.nz or call 105 online.

When you report, tell them the image is a deepfake. Tell them when you found it, where it was posted, and who posted it. Provide the screenshots you gathered. If you are being blackmailed, say so. Tell them if the creator used your name, your photo or other personal details to build the fake. The regulator or police may use this to investigate.

You may need support

Having someone create a fake intimate image of you is a violation. You may feel angry, ashamed, or like this is somehow your fault. It is not. You did not create the image, share it or agree to it. Someone else made a choice to create and distribute fake sexual content of you.

If this has affected your mental health or your sense of safety, reach out to a counsellor or trusted person. If you are struggling or having thoughts of self-harm, contact a crisis line in your country.

How platforms can help remove it

Platforms are required by law in several countries to remove non-consensual intimate images including deepfakes. Use the report and block tools available to you. Most platforms now act quickly on these reports.

Some platforms use technology to find copies of the image as it spreads. If you reported it to a platform, you can ask whether they have found other copies and removed them. If it is still showing up weeks after you reported it, report it again and ask for a specific reason why it has not been removed.