facebook report duplicate page

Get new fans and potential customers without expensive ads. We'll help you grow an engaged audience for a fraction of the cost.

5 Ways to Remove Duplicate or Fake Facebook Pages

There are a handful of different cases where you might encounter another page or profile on Facebook that you want to deal with. The vast majority of the pages on the social network won’t bother you in any way, of course. Even those that do are more likely to be competitors needling you than they are actual malicious pages.

What I’m talking about to day are those .000001% of cases where there’s a page that is somehow harming or hindering your presence and you want to do something about it. I’ve come up with five potential cases, and listed out the steps on how you can deal with them.

It’s worth noting that only two of these are malicious use cases. They’re instances where someone is intentionally impersonating you for one reason or another. Those are the most dangerous. The other cases are edge cases that generally aren’t harmful, but can dilute your presence and might be worth cleaning up regardless. Let’s discuss all five, shall we?

1. Report and Ban an Imposter Profile

In this case, we’re talking about organic Facebook profiles, the profile you use as a person, not your brand page. It’s only one of the five scenarios, but it’s worth covering because it’s probably the most common of all of the scenarios.

Basically what happens is that a malicious user creates a new Facebook account, usually with a disposable email or phone number, and copies your profile . They will choose the same name as you, and they will save your profile picture and cover photo to use as their own. Some of them will go one step deeper and will copy your profile information, or at least whatever information is publicly visible. Very rarely will they attempt to copy recent posts you make to add more legitimacy. This is generally more effort than these malicious users want to expend, however.

What is the endgame here? The malicious user will generally try to send your friends requests to be friends, with some messaged excuse or a post that explains that your original profile was hacked and you had to make a new one. When your friends and family add this new account, they will then start to make posts and send messages with links to some form of scam or another. It might be some MLM scheme, it might be a phishing page, it might be a link to a download that has malicious software attached. There are a dozen or more different schemes being monetized this way.

As with many identity theft scams, this tends to prey most on the very gullible and the very old, particularly the elderly who may not have the skepticism necessary to protect themselves.

The solution to this problem is to report the profile. Navigate to the profile and click the … button on the cover photo. One of the options is “report” , so click it. Follow the instructions, choosing the “this profile is impersonating me” option.

Often, the scammers will be wise to this and will block your original profile so you can’t access it to see the report button. Take two steps, in this case. First, make a post flagging the account as an imposter and ask your friends to report it. Second, log out of Facebook and click this link . You can also access that link from a browser you aren’t logged in on, if you don’t want to log out. Click “someone created an account pretending to be me or a friend.” Then click “no” to the “do you have a Facebook account” question. Then click “Yes, I am the person being impersonated.”

Facebook will then ask for your full name, your email address, the name of the imposter profile, the email address or phone number of the imposter if it’s publicly available, a link to the offending profile, and any additional info you want to provide. You will also be asked to submit a copy of your ID to prove you are who you claim to be.

Once Facebook processes the reports (which can be days, weeks, or even months in some cases) they will generally ban the account, and you can move on with your life, helping your friends and family remove the malware they installed or fix whatever other damage may have been caused.

2. Report and Ban an Imposter Page

This second scenario is similar, but potentially more damaging, while also being a bit less common. It’s very similar to the process above, but with a different goal.

Basically, the hacker or scammer in this case will make a profile with a random name and information, they don’t really care what it is. They will use this to make a new brand page, and the new brand page will steal the information from your brand page . This will include name, display URL as closely as possible, images, information, and anything else it needs to look legitimate.

This page will then exist to accumulate followers that can’t tell which of the two is the real one. They may or may not fake activity, but most of the time they will simply make a single post – or just use their About information – to spread a link.

The link will be a fairly standard phishing scam. It will look like your website, or a login page for your service, asking for information. The owner of the fake page will then scrape that information and either use it to steal identities, or sell it to people who will.

In some cases, the scammer will instead use your page to spread scams directly, similar to the previous scenario. They might link to one of those fake Ray-Ban offers or some other counterfeit, or even just put up something that looks like an opt-in form for a newsletter where they then spam those emails. Really, once the page has the trust of your customers, they can wreak a lot of havoc.

The steps you take here depend on the specific scenario. If your page is that of a public figure, like a politician, an actor, or a sports star, you can use this form . It’s a specific form for reporting the impersonation of a public figure. Note that it’s only for malicious impersonation, not for fan pages or opinion pages. You can remove a “J.K. Roowling ” page, but not a “J.K. Rowling Sucks” page.

The form will ask for the URL of the real official page, the URL of the imposter page, and the reason why you’re reporting it. You can report it for using your name or photos, for messaging your followers, for sharing private images, for posting scams, and/or for other impersonation-related reasons. You can then describe more details about the situation.

Generally, this report will start an investigation. If the imposter is clear cut – and the real page is verified – Facebook can take immediate action. If the imposter is fairly accurate, Facebook may request the real (older) page provide ID, and ban the one that cannot. They may also verify the one that was impersonated, to help prevent the issue in the future, though this is not guaranteed.

If your brand page is for a company, not for a public figure, you have a different path to take. You will need to report either copyright or trademark violation. If the imposter page is distributing your product illegally (such as an ebook of your novel, an unlicensed cracked copy of your software, or an illegal download of your movie) you can pursue copyright violation .

Otherwise, since you’re just reporting an imposter, you will need to report trademark violation. This page has all of the information you will need to pursue trademark violation. If your company is large enough, it may be worthwhile to talk to a lawyer about how to proceed, as they may have more direct experience with dealing with Facebook. That, however, is up to you.

3. Claim and Use an Unowned Page

A long time ago, Facebook decided to try to compete with the likes of Yelp, Tripadvisor, and the Yellow Pages by becoming a directory of businesses. They encouraged users to “check in” wherever they were when they visited a business or a restaurant. If the user tried to check in to a business that did not yet have a Facebook Page, they would be encouraged to fill in some basic information about the business, and Facebook would make a page for it. These were location pages, and like other business directories, Facebook allowed brands to claim their pages and fill them out fully.

Over the years, Facebook has changed their system numerous times, and one of their changes was to do away with the difference between location pages and brand pages. It’s hard to find unclaimed pages these days, but there’s still the rare chance you may find one for your brand, particularly if you’re both an old business and new to Facebook.

We’ve written about how to claim these pages before, over in this post . I don’t believe the process has changed in the last year or so, so the advice should still be accurate. If it’s not, feel free to let me know.

4. Claim and Merge a Defunct Page

In this scenario – and the fifth one as well – there’s a Page that represents your business on Facebook, but it’s not your page. There are a few reasons why this might have happened. Maybe someone tried to create an impersonation page and gave up when it didn’t attract attention. Maybe an old marketing team created it and let it lapse when funding was cut, they were fired, or the CEO decided it wasn’t worth the investment. Who knows!

Unfortunately, you can’t just claim a page that has an owner, even if it’s representing your brand and hasn’t been used in a long time. You have to somehow gain ownership over the page.

Try reaching out to the page owner. Post on the page, send them a message via Facebook messenger, or contact them by any information that isn’t just your own customer service information. With luck, they may respond. If they’re amenable, have them add your account as an admin for the page management, then use your new admin powers to remove them. If they don’t respond or if they demand a ransom or something, ignore them and follow the process up above for reporting a trademark violation. This will likely lead to the other page being deleted rather than being given to you, but that’s fine.

If you own two pages representing the same entity, whether because you had an old one you forgot about or because one was given to you as described above, you can merge them. This link will take you to the merge page menu.

Be very careful with merging pages! You will need to pick a primary page and a merge page. The primary is the page you want to keep. The merge page will disappear, and anyone who follows it will be transferred to your primary page. Posts, photos, reviews, and other data from the merge page will be deleted.

5. Claim and Delete an Abandoned Page

Sometimes the old page has nothing of real value on it. It’s probably just old enough that any followers no longer care, and have either found your real page or are inactive. It isn’t worth dealing with the hassle of claiming and merging it to salvage it, so you may as well just delete it.

You can follow the steps above, either to report the trademark violation (even if it’s a legit, abandoned page) and get it removed, or you can reach out to try to claim it and then delete it. The choice is yours.

Related Posts

No comments yet. Be the first!

Leave a Reply

Name (required)

Email (will not be published) (required)

XHTML: You can use these tags: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

Our Services

• Privacy Policy
• Terms of Service

We are not affiliated with Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, or Twitter. The Facebook logo, the Instagram logo, the YouTube logo, the Twitter logo, the TikTok logo, and any other marks are all registered trademarks of their respective owners.

Have a Facebook Page? Help it reach its full potential.

We help businesses get thousands of new fans for their business and personal pages. Companies all around the world trust Boostlikes.

No thanks, I get enough business from Facebook

How to Delete a Duplicate Company Page on Facebook

• Small Business
• Setting Up a New Business
• Company Names
• ')" data-event="social share" data-info="Pinterest" aria-label="Share on Pinterest">
• ')" data-event="social share" data-info="Reddit" aria-label="Share on Reddit">
• ')" data-event="social share" data-info="Flipboard" aria-label="Share on Flipboard">

How to Open QRP Files

How to see blocked people on a facebook business page, how to hide a posted link on facebook.

• How to Save a Facebook Page As a File
• How to Sync iPhone Contacts to Facebook

If you've created multiple pages for your business or have an old page that's no longer in use, you can delete it from the Facebook server. To delete a page, you must be listed as a page administrator. If you've noticed a duplicate page that you didn't create, you won't be able to delete it on your own. However, you can use the "Report" link to alert Facebook to the problem. If the Facebook team finds that the page is a duplicate, they may remove it from the site.

Deleting Duplicate Pages as an Admin

Visit the duplicate Facebook company page you wish to delete. You can enter the page URL directly into the address bar or type the page name in the "Search" box located near the top of the Facebook website.

Click the "Edit Page" option, located on the left side of the page below the page's profile picture.

Click the "Manage Permissions" option located in the list along the left side of the page.

Click the "Permanently Delete This Page." A message will appear, warning you that the page cannot be reinstated. Click "Delete" to confirm your choice.

Report a Duplicate Page

Visit the duplicate Facebook company page you wish to report. You can enter the page URL directly into the address bar or type the page name in the "Search" box located near the top of the Facebook website.

Click the "Report Page" link, located on the left side of the page in the list below the profile picture. A pop-up window appears.

Click the button next to "Duplicate or Miscategorized Page." Click the drop-down box, then click "Duplicate of Another Page." A text box will appear below the drop-down box.

Click the text box, then begin typing the name of the page that is a duplicate of the one being reported. As you type, matching Facebook pages will appear. Click the appropriate page, then click the "Submit" button.

• Facebook Help Center: Facebook Pages -- How Do I Delete a Page?
• Facebook: Help Center

Amy McClain has worked as both a feature writer and a copy editor for a prestigious daily newspaper. She also enjoys writing as a hobby and takes creative writing courses in her free time. She has worked in sales and marketing for a wireless company for over seven years.

Related Articles

How to delete facebook business pages, how to edit a linkedin company page, how to close a page on facebook, how to change a fan page to a company page on facebook, how to remove pictures & posts from your own facebook page, how to delete a company on linkedin, how to change admins on linkedin company pages, how to put html links on a linkedin company page, how to retrieve a deleted facebook account, most popular.

• 1 How to Delete Facebook Business Pages
• 2 How to Edit a LinkedIn Company Page
• 3 How to Close a Page on Facebook
• 4 How to Change a Fan Page to a Company Page on Facebook

• Your Dream Team
• Testimonials
• Custom Web Design
• WordPress Development
• WooCommerce Development
• Organic SEO
• How we tripled the revenue for a Plastic Surgeon.
• How we helped expand a law firm.
• How we helped a Hot Tub business expand.
• Doyle Law Group
• Questions to Ask before you hire your agency.
• Web Design Trends that Matter
• Launch your new website without losing ranking.
• Free Technical SEO Audit & Consultation
• New Clients
• Support Request

How to Claim and Merge Duplicate Facebook Pages

If you have a new business or if your business has been established for some time, it’s possible that you have an unclaimed Facebook Business page. This happens when people show interest or check into your establishment before you’ve set up your official Facebook business page or possibly searched for your business under a misspelling.

This can be frustrating because you have to figure out how to claim, delete, or even merge duplicate Facebook Business pages. It turns out that duplicate Facebook Business pages are common — checking into and mentioning businesses in Facebook posts is very popular.

Here’s an example of an unclaimed Facebook Business page:

Frustrating as this may be, there is a way to take control of your pages so you can maintain ownership.

Fixing Duplicate Pages When You Don’t Have a Facebook Page

If you don’t have an existing Facebook page and are creating a new one but find there are multiple pages with your business name, you will need to prove ownership. Here’s how to do that:

On the top, right just under the cover image as shown below, click on, “Is this your business?”

If you have access to the business phone line, the first option, “Verify by Phone,” is the easiest way to claim your unofficial Facebook business page. This is an automated call that Facebook will make to your business phone number to verify that you have access to the business’ phone number and that someone authorized to represent the business is claiming the page. The call from Facebook will give you an authorization code to enter.

If you do not have access to the business phone number to be able to take an automated call from Facebook to verify ownership of the page, you are welcome to verify the Facebook business page with business documents. All you have to do is either scan or snap a picture and upload of one of the following documents:

• Utility Bill/Phone Bill
• Business License
• Business Tax File
• Certificate of Formation
• Articles of Incorporation

Once you’ve submitted the documentation that satisfies Facebook requirements for ownership, Facebook will review your case and decide whether or not to grant you ownership.

Fixing Duplicate Pages When You Have a Facebook Page

It can happen the best businesses: you hired somebody to manage the Facebook business page but now that person no longer works for you and they were the only person who admin access to that page.

If you’ve found one page or more that exist with your business name, you’ll need to visit each page and claim ownership. You can report each page which should be under your control very easily:

1.) Go to the bottom left corner of the Facebook business page cover you want to report, where it says “Like”,”Follow”,”Message” — just to the right of this you’ll see a button with three dots (…). Click on that button.

2.) Scroll down and click on the “Report Page” option.

3.) A new pop up will appear. Select the last option which reads “I think it’s an unauthorized use of my intellectual property” and click Submit.

4.) Next, you’ll be redirected to the Reporting a Violation or Infringement page. Select the which of the two rights you feel is being violated or infringed: Copyright or Trademark. Unless you’re a trademarked company, you’ll want to select copyright. Once you’ve made your selection, click the Send button on the bottom right side of the page.

5.) On the next selection, choose the option that best suits your unique scenario and click the Submit button.

If you get stuck, or you have questions, Facebook offers many resources in the Facebook Business support portal . Here you have the ability to search for help , browse and ask questions in the community support portal , and even create a new page .

Steps to Merging Two Facebook Pages:

• Visit the Facebook Request to Merge Duplicate Pages page: www.facebook.com/pages/merge
• Select the two pages you want to merge from the drop-down menus and click the Continue button.
• Click Request Merge.

If you’re unable to merge your Pages, it means that your Pages aren’t eligible to be merged — check to make sure that the business information on both pages is as closely matched as possible.

If you see the option to request to merge your Pages, Facebook will review your request. If your request is granted, both pages’ likes and check-ins will be merged. The posts, photos, reviews, ratings, and username from the page you merged will be deleted. You will be able to choose which page you keep and which page is merged. The page you kept will remain unchanged except for the addition of the likes and check-ins from the page you merged into this one. The page you no longer want will be removed from Facebook and won’t be able to be unmerged in the future.

Your Facebook marketing strategy doesn’t need to cause you stress. Contact the internet marketing  and  SEO experts at TheeDigital in Raleigh, NC at 919-341-8901  or  schedule a consultation .

Tags: Digital Marketing

Leslie Vegter

Leslie Vegter is a Marketing Manager at TheeDigital. She implements digital marketing strategies that help clients meet their online goals. Chat with Leslie about your digital marketing campaign and goals by calling 919-341-8901 .

Related Posts

How to Claim or Merge Google Business Listings

Why Your Digital Marketing Strategy Needs to Include Paid Facebook Ads

How to Remove A Duplicate Facebook Page: Step By Step

Table of Contents

The presence of duplicate Facebook pages can tarnish your brand’s image, confuse your audience, and even lead to lost business opportunities. In this blog post, we will discuss how to remove a duplicate Facebook page, demonstrating why it’s essential to maintain a singular, authoritative presence online. We’ll cover the strategies, benefits, and significance of taking immediate action and guide you through different scenarios. Let’s get started!

What Are Duplicate Facebook Pages?

How to merge duplicate pages, dealing with duplicate pages when you have a facebook business page, dealing with duplicate pages when you don’t have a facebook business page, let us handle it.

Why Are They a Problem?

The existence of duplicate pages can lead to several challenges:

• Brand Confusion : Duplicate pages can dilute your brand’s message, creating inconsistencies in what your audience perceives. With multiple pages presenting different information, followers may be confused about what’s official and what’s not.
• Loss of Control : These pages can post content without your consent or oversight, leading to potential misinformation or misrepresentation of your brand.
• Impact on Engagement : Duplicates can divert likes, comments, and shares from your official page, affecting your reach and engagement metrics , a major reason why you should learn how to remove a duplicate Facebook page.
• Potential Legal Issues : Duplicate pages might violate intellectual property rights, leading to complex legal scenarios.

How Are Duplicate Pages Created?

Understanding the creation of duplicate pages can aid in prevention and management:

• Fan-Created Pages : Enthusiastic followers might create fan pages that unintentionally appear as duplicates.
• Competitor Tactics : Unscrupulous competitors might create duplicates to mislead your audience.
• Automation and Bots : Automated tools can generate duplicates, especially if your brand is popular.

Solutions and Prevention

Addressing duplicate pages requires a multi-faceted approach:

• Monitor Your Brand : Regularly search for and report duplicate pages.
• Engage with Your Community : Educate your followers about the official page and encourage them to report duplicates.
• Utilize Verification : Obtain Facebook’s verification badge to distinguish your official page.
• Legal Protections : Register trademarks and copyrights as needed.

Merging duplicate pages is a powerful solution to consolidate your online presence. It helps align your audience with a single, authoritative source, ensuring consistency in messaging and engagement. Here’s a comprehensive guide to help you through this essential process:

Step-by-Step Guide

• Identify the Duplicate Pages : Start by finding all the pages that resemble your official page, including fan pages, imitations created by competitors, or accidental duplications by well-meaning followers. Tools like Facebook’s Page search can aid in this discovery.
• Request a Merge : Once identified, you can request a merge through Facebook’s dedicated process, which will involve accessing the “Merge Pages” option within the page settings and following Facebook’s specific guidelines. Ensure that the pages meet Facebook’s criteria for merging, such as similarity in name and content.
• Verify Ownership : Verifying ownership is a crucial step. Facebook will require proof that you have administrative access to both pages, which may include submitting official documents or responding to a verification prompt sent to your registered email or phone number.
• Complete the Merge : Follow the prompts to finalize the merge, selecting the page you wish to keep as the primary page. The likes and followers from the duplicate page will be transferred, but posts, comments, and reviews may be lost. Carefully review the details before confirming the merge.

Considerations Before Merging

• Review Content : Analyze the content on both pages to ensure valuable posts or reviews are not lost in the merge.
• Inform Your Audience : To avoid confusion, consider notifying followers of the duplicate page about the upcoming merge.
• Backup Data : If necessary, back up important data from the duplicate page, as some information may not transfer during the merge.

Benefits of Merging Pages

• Unified Brand Presence : A single, consolidated page enhances brand integrity and clarity.
• Improved Engagement : With all followers on one page, engagement metrics can become more accurate and impactful.
• Enhanced SEO : Merging pages can positively impact search engine optimization, directing more traffic to your official page.

Owning a Facebook Business Page brings with it unique challenges and opportunities, especially when it comes to dealing with duplicate pages. These duplicates can impact your business’s credibility, reach, and customer engagement. In this section, we’ll explore the specific challenges, solutions, and strategies for those with a Facebook Business Page, along with detailed steps to report, claim, and remove a duplicate page.

• Identifying Who Created the Duplicate Pages : Understanding the source of duplicate pages can be a complex task. These duplicates might be created by fans, competitors, or even bots, each requiring a different approach to resolution.
• Ensuring Alignment with Facebook’s Business Guidelines : Facebook has specific guidelines and policies for business pages. Ensuring that your approach to dealing with duplicates aligns with these rules is vital to avoid potential complications.

Reporting and Claiming Duplicate Pages

• Navigate to the Page : Go to the top right-hand corner of the page you want to notify Facebook about. You will see a button with three dots to the right of the “Message” button.
• Click on it.
• Select Report Page : Once you do so, you will see an option on the dropdown menu for “Report Page.”
• Choose the Reason : After clicking that button, you will have the option of choosing the reason you are reporting that page. Select “Duplicate” or “Miscategorized” page.
• Submit Your Business Page Name : There is a field for you to submit the name of your Facebook Business Page. Fill it out.
• Click Submit : Facebook will investigate whether the page is a duplicate of yours. If they deem that it is, they will notify you and either provide access to the page or merge it with your page.

Additional Strategies

• Engage with the Community : Encourage your followers to report duplicates and provide clear guidance on recognizing the official page.
• Seek Verification : Obtaining a verification badge from Facebook can help in distinguishing the official page from duplicates.
• Collaborate with Facebook Support : In complex situations, working directly with Facebook’s support team can provide tailored solutions.

While owning a Facebook Business Page comes unique challenges and tools, learning how to remove a duplicate page is no less critical for those without a business page. Individuals, influencers, public figures, and non-business entities must also maintain control over their online image. Let’s delve into the best practices and strategies for handling duplicate pages without a Facebook Business Page.

The Importance of Addressing Duplicate Pages

Even without a business classification, your Facebook page is likely a vital part of your online identity. Duplicate pages can lead to several issues:

• Misrepresentation : Uncontrolled duplicate pages can spread incorrect information or views not aligned with your stance.
• Potential Security Risks : Unscrupulous entities might use duplicate pages for phishing information or scamming your followers.

Here’s how to claim these unofficial pages:

• Identify the Page : Click on the “Gear” sign at the top right-hand corner of the page. Scroll down and select “Is This Your Business?” from the dropdown menu.
• Confirm Ownership : Check the box to affirm that you agree to Facebook’s terms and confirm that you are the “Official Representative” of this business.
• Provide Business Information : Input the name of your business, address, job title, phone number, and website. The more information you provide, the easier for Facebook to confirm your status.
• Verify Connection : Verify your connection with the pages by adding your business email to your Facebook Business Page account or by sending official documentation like a business license, tax ID, articles of formation, or a utility bill in the accepted file formats.

Additional Considerations

• Monitor Regularly : Regular checks for duplicate pages allow for quick action before they can gain traction.
• Consider Verification : Even without a business page, seeking verification from Facebook (if eligible) can help distinguish the authentic page.
• Educate Your Followers : Create posts or guides explaining how to identify the official page and why it’s essential to avoid duplicates.

The issue of duplicate Facebook pages is more than a minor inconvenience; it’s a significant challenge that demands urgent attention. By understanding the problem and learning how to remove a duplicate Facebook page, you can protect your brand’s integrity and engage more authentically with your audience.

However, managing your online presence can be complex and time-consuming. That’s where Oyova comes in. As experts in social media marketing , we provide tailored solutions to safeguard your brand, enhance engagement, and drive success on platforms like Facebook. Our team is equipped to handle duplicate pages, content strategy, and much more, allowing you to focus on what you do best.

Take control today and foster a stronger connection with your community by partnering with Oyova. Contact us now to discover how our services can elevate your brand and transform your social media presence. Your success is our mission, and we’re here to make it happen!

Let’s talk about how we can take your company or agency to the next level.

• First Name *
• Last Name *

The Official Guide to Unofficial Pages on Facebook

This blog was post was originally designed to be a self-service blog post offering the same strategies we employ to remove duplicate business listings for our clients. we strive to keep it updated, but things continuously change with third-party websites including facebook & instagram. we have found that many of these tips continue to work today (in 2019), but have also recently discovered that some new versions of unofficial pages exist that are more difficult to remove. we will continue to research and update this page as we find solutions. in november of 2007, facebook introduced a new set of features designed specifically for improving engagement between local businesses and their followers..

Perhaps the most useful of all these new marketing tools was Facebook Pages for businesses. The ability to create business-specific pages made it easier to manage a brand on Facebook . Marketers no longer needed to maintain a separate “profile” for the business that was not connected to their personal account, and they could also create targeted ads on Facebook .

With this rollout, the evolution of Facebook’s own local business directory began to take shape—but not without some issues. One of the most frustrating issues for page managers? The existence of unmanaged duplicate pages for your business, known as “unofficial” pages.

What Are Unofficial Pages on Facebook?

Unofficial pages are unmanaged pages designed to act as a placeholders for locations without managed business pages. The intention here is so users can still check-in or leave reviews and comments for a business that does not have a Facebook presence.

If you ask me, these unofficial pages are a prime example of Facebook prioritizing user engagement over user experience. Unfortunately, good intentions alone cannot stop the flow of bad data and spammy reviews (more on this later).

Why Does My Business Have An Unofficial Page on Facebook?

Unofficial pages are a byproduct of the ever-changing Facebook ecosystem. Remember, users did not have the ability to create and manage a business page on Facebook until 2007. Many of these unofficial pages were likely created prior to the release of Facebook’s Pages for businesses.

Even in 2017, unofficial pages are still a problem. Users can unknowingly create an unofficial page for a business (that already has a presence on Facebook) by submitting incorrect location data. Just like on Google or any other directory, submitting variations of the existing location data for a business on Facebook’s directory creates new listings.

As far as I can tell, Facebook provides no warnings or notifications to users or page managers when this happens. Most business owners have no idea that one or more duplicate pages exists, and even fewer pursue the process required to claim, merge and remove them.

It is never too late to take care of an unofficial business page on Facebook, and the removal process is pretty straightforward. But first, let’s take a look at why you should do it.

Why Claim, Merge, and Remove Unofficial Duplicate Pages?

Bad data is a primary source of confusion for customers throughout the discovery stage, particularly when searching for local businesses.

Claiming, merging, and removing unofficial duplicate pages on Facebook is a way to combat this confusion on social media and improve your location’s overall NAP consistency (name, address, phone number + website).

Recall our discussion on NAP consistency and location data management .

If there are multiple listings for a single business in a given directory, these can compete for authority and positioning within search results on sites like Facebook and Google. The presence of multiple listings can confuse customers about which is the accurate listing, especially if the location data or contact info is inconsistent or outdated.

Unofficial pages can also leave your business open to scrutiny on the platform without any chance to moderate the content. For a business without a managed Facebook page, their unofficial page becomes the only source of information that users can find about the location—ultimately giving up control of your image and ability to do damage control if needed.

The best way to ensure your customers find your real page on Facebook (right from the start) is to verify your Facebook business page . 

How To Claim, Merge, and Remove Unofficial Pages on Facebook

Now that you understand why it is so important to monitor the appearance of these duplicates, let’s take a look at how to do it. Depending on your situation, there are different ways of accomplishing the same end goal.

I have a single Facebook page for my business (not verified), but an unofficial page exists.

This is probably the most common situation that page managers find themselves in. Although Facebook rolled out a verification process  in 2016, many pages are still not verified.

• Verify your official Facebook business page with a phone call or by uploading official business documents. This can take up to 24 hours to process, but typically much shorter.
• Navigate to your unofficial duplicate page on Facebook
• Select “Is this your business?” from the drop down menu
• Choose the first option: “Merge into a verified page you manage”
• Select your page from the drop down selector and submit

Facebook will decide whether or not your page matches the location of the unofficial page and merge the pages accordingly. Any likes, comments, reviews, and check-ins should be preserved in most cases.

I have a single Facebook page for my business (verified), but an unofficial page exists.

If your business page is already verified on Facebook, great, you are one step ahead from the previous case but the same steps apply.

I don’t have a Facebook page for my business at all, but an unofficial page exists.

If your business is just getting started on Facebook, do a search for your name, address, or phone number to see if you can find any unofficial duplicates that may be lurking in the depths of their directory. Sometimes the location data on these unofficial pages will be incorrect, so be aware.

Once you spot the duplicate, you can verify your ownership of the unofficial page and transform it into an official verified page by following the steps below.

• Choose the second option: “Claim and verify this page with a phone call or documents”
• Follow the verification process exactly by answering a phone call or by uploading official business documents. This can take up to 24 hours to process, but typically much shorter.

I have two Facebook pages for my business, neither of them are unofficial pages.

If you somehow managed to create two Facebook pages for your businesss (but neither of them are unofficial pages), Facebook has a separate process for merging them together. Be sure to read and follow the rules exactly as they are written, as far as I know, there is no way to un-merge a page after this process has been completed.

• You can only request a merge if you’re an admin for both Pages.
• The Pages you merge must represent the same thing and have similar names. If you try to merge Pages that aren’t similar, the Pages may be permanently unpublished.
• Merging Pages can’t be undone once you’ve started the process.
• People who like the duplicate Page will be informed of the merge. This may take a few days to complete.
• Content from the merged Page, such as posts, photos and the username, will be deleted during the merge. Learn how to download and save your Page content
• Likes and check-ins from both Pages will be combined and shown on the remaining Page.

The scenarios above represent the most common cases that we encounter with clients at C3D.

Report as Duplicates

Verification provides both Facebook and business owners with the most “official” method for claiming and managing duplicates.

If you encounter difficulty with any of the methods mentioned above, there is another way to let Facebook know that you think two pages may be duplicates of each other. Simply navigate to the unofficial page and click “Suggest Edits” to add the URL of the duplicate page in the box below. Just for good measure, I also perform the same action on the official page (if it exists) by adding the URL of the unofficial page as a duplicate.

You Don’t Have to Go it Alone.

Save time and money with marketing basics that create a solid foundation for your small business.

Social Pro Daily

Facebook creates duplicate page finder tool for admins to report unofficial pages.

Some Facebook page owners are seeing a new “Report Duplicates” module that allows them to search for pages related to their own and report those that are unofficial. Facebook will review the duplicates and then recategorize them as community pages that link back to the official fan page.

This feature, which appears in the “Edit Page/Update Info” dashboard of some Facebook pages, will help page owners address the common problem of fan-created pages being confused with official pages. The screenshot below is from All Facebook , which first wrote about the change.

When a page is designated as a community page, it will say so beneath the page name and include a link to the main fan page. Community pages are similarly distinguished in search results, though many users might not notice the difference. Unlike Twitter, which offers verified accounts, Facebook doesn’t give official pages any designation. Typically users look at the number of Likes as a gauge.

Page owners who do not have the new duplicate page finder tool in their dashboard can use Facebook’s main search bar to look for related pages. If they find duplicate pages that are not properly designated as community pages, they can report them directly by clicking the gear icon beneath the page’s cover photo and clicking “report page.” This leads to a dialog where users can indicate which official page it is a duplicate of.

We’d like to see Facebook create a crowdsourcing tool to allow users to easily report duplicate or miscategorized pages. Last year the social network added a Places Editor app for anyone in the community to contribute details to place page listings and identify duplicates. A similar app for fan pages would help clean up Facebook’s database, which would improve search and lead more users to a brand or public figure’s official page.

Brittany Darwell

What to Do When a Friend’s Facebook Account is Hacked or Duped

Before any serious damage is done

A cloned Facebook account uses the name and photo from a real account to trick people into giving away info. Here’s how to recognize a cloned account on Facebook and what to do if you suspect a friend’s account has been hacked or duped.

Having your Facebook account hacked is a nightmare. When a scammer gets hold of your friend’s Facebook account, they get access to that person’s friends list. Hackers can then employ phishing techniques, scam other Facebook users, and spread malware to you and everyone else on that person’s Facebook friends list. It’s even worse if your friend’s Facebook account wasn’t hacked but cloned. In that case, you’ll have no one else to blame but yourself for getting tricked.

What Is a Cloned Facebook Account?

Facebook account cloning is a simple scam that’s been around for years. In short, a scammer uses one of your online accounts to get publicly available information about you. Then they use the information found on your profile page (i.e., your profile picture, cover photo, date of birth, bio, school, or work info) to create a new account in your name.

They’ll use this account to trick your friends into giving up their personal information, following malicious links, and participating in other scams. For example, scammers can ask a friend of yours to send them money to help you out in a dire situation. While a person usually won’t send money to a stranger immediately, they might do it without thinking if they believe that you (their friend) are in trouble.

How to Recognize Facebook Account Cloning

Strictly speaking, Facebook account cloning isn’t a hack but a trick that clever scammers use to breach social media accounts. A cloned account is a copy of your account that uses information from your Facebook page.

If a scammer spends a lot of time and effort duplicating your or your friend’s account, it might be difficult for other users to spot it immediately. However, you can use one sure sign to recognize a cloned account and inform the actual account owner about it. This sign is a duplicate friend request.

If you or your friends start receiving duplicate friend requests from someone they already have on their friend’s list, that’s a clear sign of a cloned Facebook account. On Facebook, if you’ve already sent a friend request to someone, you can’t send another one, as there’s no such option on the platform. So if you get a friend request from someone you’re sure is already on your friends list, you can safely assume there’s a scammer behind it.

When you suspect someone’s made a copy of your friend’s Facebook account, here are the things you should do immediately.

Find the Real Account’s Owner

When you receive a new friend request from someone who’s already on your friends list, there’s still a possibility it’s a real person who created a second account. Before reporting this account to Facebook, find the real account’s owner and ask them about the duplicate.

Open Facebook and use the Search function (upper-left corner of the screen) to find the original Facebook profile you suspect was duplicated. You can also find the original account on your Facebook friends list.

If the account’s owner created a new Facebook profile, they probably announced it on their original page. If you don’t find such an announcement on their page, select Message and ask them about the second profile directly on Facebook Messenger. If they don’t know about the second account, let them know about Facebook account cloning and that somebody might be using their personal information without permission.

Report a Hacked or Duped Account on Facebook

Facebook has an algorithm that allows you to report an account you consider fake. Once you’re sure the account you’re looking at is fake, follow the steps below to report a fake account to Facebook. The instructions differ depending on the device that you’re using.

Follow the steps below to report a duped or hacked Facebook account on the web, follow the steps below.

• Open Facebook on your desktop.
• Navigate to the account you want to report and open their profile page.
• Select More (the three horizontal dots in the top right corner) > Find support or report .

• From the Report menu, select one of the reasons: Pretending to be someone , Fake account , Fake name , or something else.

Follow the steps below to report a Facebook account on the mobile app.

• Open Facebook on your smartphone and navigate to the account that you want to report.
• On their profile page, select More > Report profile .

• Under Please select a problem , select the reason for reporting the account.

• Follow the instructions and give Facebook all the required details. Then select Submit or Send .

You can also report a hacked account to Facebook using the facebook.com/hacked link. Simply follow the on-screen instructions to give Facebook an overview of your situation and report the suspicious activity. If the cloned account has blocked you, you can ask your friends on Facebook to follow the same procedure and report it to Facebook.

You can report someone pretending to be you or your friend even if you don’t have a Facebook profile (or don’t have access to your Facebook profile at the moment). To do that, follow the link , fill in the Report an impostor account form, and submit it to Facebook.

Report a Hacked or Duped Account in Messenger

If you use Facebook Messenger as a standalone app , you can also use it to report a friend’s compromised Facebook account. Accounts that pretend to be someone else aren’t allowed in Messenger. Follow the steps below when you come across an account pretending to be you or someone else.

• In Messenger, find the conversation with the fake profile and select the information icon in the top right corner.
• Scroll down until you see Privacy and select Report .

• Select the reason for reporting the conversation, like Pretending to be someone . Then select who this person is pretending to be: Me , A friend , A celebrity .

• Select Submit Report to confirm.

How to Protect Your Friends (and Yourself) From Hackers

There are several techniques a Facebook user can employ to protect their account from hackers. If you want to prevent your friend’s account from being compromised or duplicated, share the following privacy and security tips with them.

Hide Your Facebook Friends List

After a hacker creates a duplicate of your account on Facebook, they’ll start targeting the people found on your friends list and send them fake friend requests. To avoid that, you can simply hide your Facebook friends list from other users.

To do that, go to your Facebook account settings and follow the path Settings > Privacy > How people can find and contact you > Who can see your friends list? On the right side, select Edit and choose one of the options from the drop-down menu. If you want to make your friends list private, select Only me .

Make Your Facebook Account Private

After you make your Facebook friends list private, you can take it one step further and make your whole Facebook account private . You can do it in your account’s privacy settings.

Check Your Facebook Security Settings

Even if you believe you have a strong password on Facebook, that’s not always enough to protect yourself from hackers. To be safe, we recommend going through your account’s security settings on Facebook.

You can set up extra security measures in the Security and login section, like turning on alerts about unrecognized logins and two-factor authentication.

When you switch the two-factor authentication on, Facebook will send a text message with a unique code to your phone number every time there’s a login attempt from an unrecognized device. This makes it much harder for hackers to get into your Facebook account.

What’s Next?

When you find out that your friend’s Facebook account was compromised or duplicated, the most important thing to do is report it to Facebook as soon as possible. After that, you can let your other Facebook friends know about the duplicate so they can also report it as fake.

Creating fake or duplicate accounts goes against Facebook guidelines, and they take these reports seriously. If Facebook gets several reports about the same account, they’re likely to move quickly and take the fake account down before any damage is done.

Anya is a freelance technology writer. Originally from Russia, she is currently a full-time Remote Worker and Digital Nomad. With a background in Journalism, Language Studies, and Technical Translation, Anya couldn't imagine her life and work without using modern technology on a daily basis. Always looking out for new ways to make her life and location-independent lifestyle easier, she hopes to share her experiences as a tech- and internet-addict through her writing. Read Anya's Full Bio

Read More Posts:

Search results for

Affiliate links on Android Authority may earn us a commission. Learn more.

Here's how to remove a cloned Facebook account

Published on October 13, 2023

It happens regularly on Facebook : A friend’s post begins, “Do not accept any friend invitations from me!” Another Facebook account has been cloned. By now, most of us are savvy enough to be cautious online, especially on Facebook. But sometimes the cloner uses pressure tactics to make their victims react quickly, and people end up losing money or having their computers taken hostage. Fortunately, there is a well-established procedure for reporting cloned Facebook accounts. You should know how to remove a cloned Facebook account before it happens. If and when you are targeted by this fraud, speed is crucial in notifying your friends about the situation to prevent damage and reporting the fake account to Facebook.

QUICK ANSWER

To get rid of a clone of your Facebook account, go to the fake profile page and click on the three-dot menu. Choose Find support or report > Pretending to be someone > Me and then click on Submit.

JUMP TO KEY SECTIONS

Why do Facebook accounts get cloned?

How do i know if someone cloned my facebook account, what to do if your facebook account gets cloned.

There is really only one reason someone would try to pass themselves off as you on Facebook, and that’s theft. But there are variations on this theme. Some cloners will try to get your friends and family to wire them small amounts of money. They know the small amount being asked for, and the familiar name and face will get some people to let their guard down. The cloner may even add a made-up urgent situation, like they’ve been mugged and need money to get home, into their post. People who are acting quickly think less.

Other cloners are more daring and try to get your Facebook contacts to click on a link, where a malicious website will inject a virus into their system. This malicious code may be ransomware, which will freeze your computer until you pay the demanded amount. Others want your friends’ information so they can expand their pool of possible victims. One thing is for sure: A stranger impersonating you on Facebook will never have your best interests at heart.

Many people find out their Facebook account has been cloned when they start receiving messages, emails, and even phone calls from people on their friends list telling them something seems strange about their recent posts. People may even ask if you are OK and if you received the money they sent you if they’ve already been swindled unknowingly.

The quickest way to find out if your Facebook account has been cloned is to search for your own name on Facebook. Don’t be surprised if there’s more than one person with your name; that happens a lot. You have to look a little closer. Check the profile pic first. If there is more than one of your profile photo on the search results list, one of them isn’t you. Compare the two profiles. One will have all your normal posts (or lack thereof), and the other will have either few to no posts or a post about their situation and how they just need someone to click on a link to help them out.

Other details might be wrong as well. If you don’t post your birthday like many people, they may have one posted, which may be wrong. But using your photo on a profile with your name is enough to go on to suspect someone of fraud. You should contact Facebook immediately. You should also log out of Facebook on all your devices , then log back in and change your password to one you have never used before. While you are doing that, take the time to change your privacy settings so nothing is set to Public .

Cloning vs hacking

There is a difference between cloning your Facebook account and hacking it. If you see fictitious posts in your name on Facebook and a search for your name does not produce a duplicate account, your account may a victim of hacking and not cloning. Either someone got hold of your Facebook password somehow, or they have the skills and equipment to force their way in. (One way they do this is by using a program that automatically types in password after password until it finds the right one for your account by sheer repetition.)

In this case, change your password immediately to a very long and complex one, and only then post a warning on your timeline not to interact with any of your recent posts. If you don’t change your password first, the hacker can delete your warning. Then go to this link on Facebook to report your account being hacked: I think my Facebook account was hacked or someone is using it without my permission .

If you are sure that what has happened is your Facebook account being cloned, the procedure is straightforward. Go to the profile page of the fake (cloned) account. Click on the three-dot menu on the right-hand side of the page. Then click on Find support or report.

From the menu that comes up, choose Pretending to be someone.

Next click on Pretending to be me.

Send Facebook notification of this problem by clicking on the Submit button. Facebook will remove the fake account within a few days.

Facebook doesn’t allow cloned accounts; that’s why they get rid of them when users report them. In a world with many people who have the same name as each other, it is not possible (yet) to distinguish a cloner from someone who just happens to have the same name as you. Even the photo’s metadata is not a reliable indicator, since I could take a photo into an image editor, make no change at all, and save it out as a new file, and the metadata would now be different from that of your authentic profile pic.

No, you are not. No one can blame you for fraud on someone else’s part. You are a victim of the cloner as well.

Because you, in Facebook’s estimation, violated their Terms of Service.  To look into why, see Facebook’s Community Standards .

No. Facebook’s rule prohibiting the impersonation of another Facebook user has no exceptions. Facebook also has a specific rule against holding multiple accounts or sharing an account among more than one person.