My Ex Is Stalking Me With a Fake Account

Signs your ex is using a fake account

Can your ex make a fake account to stalk you? Yes. If you suspect you’re a victim of ex stalking, chances are you’re onto something. A quick analysis of the profile should point you in the right direction. Below are the signs your ex-girlfriend or ex-boyfriend is secretly watching your social media profile.

• A new, strange account starts following you.
• The profile has limited or generic information.
• If they post images, they are stock-like photos or images from Pinterest that are not unique or original.
• The profile hardly follows anyone else except for celebrity accounts.
• The user leaves mean comments under your posts.
• The profile doesn’t engage with your posts; they only check your stories.
• You have no mutual friends or connections on that social media platform.
• The profile was created shortly after you broke up with your ex.
• The user knows your personal information or posts data only your ex or someone close to you would know or have.

Why did your ex make a fake account to stalk you?

Simply put, your ex stalks you with a fake account to keep tabs on you. They want to see what you’re up to or if you’ve moved on without you knowing they’re watching you. Your ex uses a fake account instead of their real one to cover their tracks and avoid embarrassment or retaliation, especially if you’ve cut ties with them.

But why is your ex stalking your Instagram and other social media profiles? They could still be interested in you, and stalking your profile with a burner account is the only way to access you. Maybe they’re temporarily using a fake account while waiting for you to unblock them on their real account.

Finally, if your ex keeps spying on you with a fake account, it could be because they’re paranoid you might move on or they found out you have. When motivated by jealousy, they can monitor your profile (even your new flame’s profile) to keep track of your new relationship, hoping it won’t work out. Additionally, they can use their fake profile to harass you and your partner.

What to do if your ex stalking you with a fake account

If your ex is monitoring your social media account with a fake profile, preserve the evidence and report the account. Publish tracking information and try not to follow the online content.

When you experience ex stalking online at the hands of your former lover, you must take matters into your own hands. Your first course of action should be to determine if they’ve infected your phone with spyware. After all, they probably had physical access to your phone while you were dating or married, so it’s not far-fetched to think they could’ve compromised it.

To check for spyware, we recommend Clario Anti Spy’s Spyware scan. Clario Anti Spy’s Spyware scan checks the nooks and crannies of your phone for hidden spyware that your ex can use to monitor you. From there, you can secure your phone by removing the spyware and enjoying peace of mind.

Follow these steps to use Clario AntiSpy’s Spyware scan to find threats on your phone:

1. Download Clario AntiSpy on your smartphone and create an account.
2. Tap Spyware scan, hit Run deep scan, and follow the instructions to find out if your phone has any threats.

Now that you’ve secured your phone, follow the guide below to take action against your former lover and learn how to protect yourself from cyberstalking.

1. Preserve the evidence

As soon as you notice that your ex is stalking you with a fake account, start documenting it. This will help you down the line if you decide to report the stalking incidents to the authorities or take legal action against them.

1. Create a folder on your mobile phone or computer and back it up for added security. As an added measure, you can share it with someone you trust, like a close friend or family member.
2. Take screenshots of every suspicious profile you encounter and all your interactions with it. This includes their engagement with your content, like comments, likes, messages, message requests, and story views.
3. Take note of the dates for each interaction. The more information you collect, the better.

2. Report the account

Most social media services take a hard stance against harassment and fake profiles and offer channels to report them. Report your ex for using a fake profile. The platform’s team will investigate your report and take the necessary action. If they find that your ex is indeed using a fake profile, they’ll take down their account.

To help you along, here are the links to report your ex’s fake profile on various social media platforms:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter
• Snapchat
• LinkedIn
• Pinterest
• Report Harmful Content (this is a third-party reporting platform)

Don’t worry—social media platforms protect your identity when you report a profile, so the offender won’t know you’re on them.

3. Publish tracking attempts

They say the best way to handle a bully is to expose them. The same is true when your ex is stalking you with a fake account. If you believe you have solid evidence that your ex is behind the fake profiles harassing you, consider posting the information you’ve gathered online. Be careful, though, as it could backfire if you got it wrong.

If you’re wondering how to prevent cyberstalking, exposing them is one way to do it. It makes others think twice about targeting you for cybercrime.

4. Try not to follow the online content

If your ex is using their fake profile to harass you, try not to read their posts. While it might be tempting, keeping up with what they’re saying to or about you can cause you distress. It can also move you to respond, especially when they hit a nerve, which they can try to do to get a reaction out of you.

It might help to ask your loved ones to avoid constantly updating you about your ex-partner’s antics for your peace of mind. This can be challenging, given that you must consistently document their interactions with or about you, but try to avoid engaging with their posts beyond that.

Conclusion

Stalking may be common, but you don’t have to take it lying down. Why would your ex make a fake account to stalk you? Only they can tell you for sure. However, you must draw the line with an obsessive ex. Use Clario Anti Spy’s Spyware scan to check if your crazy ex hasn’t compromised your phone with spyware and remove it. Document their poor behavior diligently and report it to the relevant parties.

FAQ

1. Should I block my ex's fake account?

This depends on the victims’ preferences. Some people may choose to block the fake account to protect their peace. However, their ex can stalk them from a different account, especially as it’s common for stalkers to have multiple fake accounts to avoid detection. Others would rather let the account follow them so they can properly and consistently document their interactions with it. If you want to take legal action or involve law enforcement, consider granting the fake account temporary access to you until you have enough evidence of their harassment.

2. Why would an ex stalk your social media?

Your ex can stalk your social media accounts for various reasons. Maybe they’re still into you and are afraid to tell you or can’t because you’ve blocked their number. Your ex could be paranoid that you’ve moved on or jealous of your new girlfriend, boyfriend, or spouse. They might be bitter because they didn’t want the relationship to end. Finally, they just don’t respect your privacy.

3. Can you track a fake account?

While you may have many clues that your ex is stalking you with a fake account, it’s hard to prove. You can only prove it with the help of law enforcement. The social media platform they’re stalking you on may be able to help you if you present them with a subpoena or court order.

4. How do I report a fake Instagram account?

To report a fake account on Instagram, go to Instagram’s impersonations report page and click on Report an account that’s impersonating you on Instagram. Now click on the relevant link, depending on whether you have an Instagram account or not. Please note that you must only use this option if your ex is impersonating you with a fake account. For example, to portray you in a compromising way. Instagram’s policy also allows parents to report impersonation on behalf of their children.