Identity & Dignity

Online Identity Theft and Impersonation

Q: You cannot prove it was deliberate — maybe someone just made a mistake.

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Q: It is just social media — there is nothing the police can really do.

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Someone creates a fake social media profile using your name and photos to deceive others, damage your reputation, or extract money from your contacts

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The Situation

What They Said

“Someone has created a Facebook account with my name and photo and is sending messages to my contacts asking for money, pretending to be me in an emergency.”

Online identity theft and impersonation — the creation of fake social media accounts using another person's identity — is addressed by Republic Act 10175 (Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012). Computer-related identity theft is a specific crime under RA 10175 with penalties ranging from imprisonment to fines. Additionally, RA 10173 (Data Privacy Act) covers the unauthorised use of personal information (name, photos) for fraudulent purposes. Reports should be made to the NBI Cybercrime Division or the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group, and to the relevant social media platform to have the fake account taken down.

The Fallacy

Online Impersonation Is Not a Real Crime Because It Is Digital Fallacy

People sometimes assume that online identity theft is a minor matter because it happens in a digital rather than physical space. RA 10175 makes clear that computer-related identity theft is a criminal offence punishable by imprisonment of up to eight years. The harm from online impersonation — financial loss to victims, reputational damage, psychological distress — is as real as any physical crime. The digital medium does not reduce the seriousness of the act.

What the Law Says

Your Legal Foundation

Republic Act No. 10175 (Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012)

Section 4(b)(3) — Computer-Related Identity Theft — Criminal Liability for Online Identity Theft

“Computer-related Identity Theft — The intentional acquisition, use, misuse, transfer, possession, alteration or deletion of identifying information belonging to another, whether natural or juridical, without right. This is a cybercrime punishable by imprisonment of prision mayor (6 to 12 years) or a fine of at least Two Hundred Thousand Pesos up to a maximum amount commensurate to the damage incurred or both.”

Creating a fake social media account in your name and using it to solicit money from your contacts constitutes computer-related identity theft under Section 4(b)(3) of RA 10175. File a report with the NBI Cybercrime Division (nbi.gov.ph) or the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group. Preserve all evidence — screenshots of the fake account, messages sent to your contacts.

Republic Act No. 10173 (Data Privacy Act of 2012)

Sections 25-30 — Penalties for Unauthorised Processing — Unauthorised Use of Personal Information for Fraud

“The unauthorised use of personal information — including name and photographs — for fraudulent purposes constitutes unlawful processing of personal data under RA 10173, carrying criminal penalties in addition to the RA 10175 charges.”

File an additional complaint with the National Privacy Commission at privacy.gov.ph for the unauthorised use of your personal information (name and photos) in the fake account. The NPC complaint is complementary to the RA 10175 criminal complaint.

What Scripture Says

God's Word on This

Exodus 20:16 (NIV)

“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbour.”

The prohibition on false testimony is not merely about courtroom perjury — it is about the entire practice of misrepresenting another person for your own gain. Creating a false identity in someone else's name to extract money from their contacts is false testimony at a systemic scale: it uses one person's good name to harm others and steal from them simultaneously. God's standard has always been that a person's name — their identity — must not be weaponised against them. The law reflects this with criminal penalties.

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What They'll Say Next

Common Counter-Arguments

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They might say: “You cannot prove it was deliberate — maybe someone just made a mistake.”

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They might say: “It is just social media — there is nothing the police can really do.”

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