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AI catfish impersonates ASMR creator Alicia, gets her Instagram banned

From ABC Australia · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • An ASMR content creator named Alicia discovered an AI-generated impostor account on Instagram impersonating her and selling subscription content.
  • The fake account amassed over 500,000 followers and was verified by Meta, while Alicia's real account was banned.
  • Meta restored Alicia's account and removed the impostor after being contacted by the media, stating they removed over 20 million impersonating accounts in 2025.

ASMR content creator Alicia faced a distressing situation when her Instagram account was banned, only to discover an AI-generated impostor had taken her place. The fake profile used sophisticated AI images, blending her face with other bodies, to sell subscription-based content. This impostor account had amassed a staggering 500,000 followers and, alarmingly, had been verified by Meta.

Every photo, I can tell it looks like me, but not quite. It looks like maybe they're using multiple prompts, so like maybe someone else's body with my face.

— AliciaDescribing the AI-generated images used by the impostor account.

Alicia, who is accustomed to online impersonation, found this discovery particularly shocking due to the scale and the AI-generated nature of the fake profile. "Every photo, I can tell it looks like me, but not quite," she told triple j hack. "It looks like maybe they're using multiple prompts, so like maybe someone else's body with my face."

I'm used to being impersonated, but seeing an account with that many followers is definitely new to me.

— AliciaExpressing her shock at the scale of the impersonation.

Her attempts to regain control were met with frustration. Not only was her legitimate account banned for violating community standards on integrity, but her reports of the impostor account were unsuccessful. Even rallying her followers on X to report the fake profile did not lead to its removal. Creators are increasingly concerned that advanced AI technology will fuel a rise in sophisticated catfishing schemes.

I was told by [Meta's] AI support to make a new account, and get Meta-verified on that account, so then I can access their enhanced support.

— AliciaDetailing her frustrating experience with Meta's support system.

After being contacted by triple j hack, Meta restored Alicia's account and removed the verified impostor profile. A Meta spokesperson stated that impersonation violates their policies. The company claims to use a combination of automated and human reviews to enforce its standards and reported removing over 20 million accounts impersonating large creators in 2025. However, Alicia's experience highlights the challenges creators face in combating AI-driven impersonation and the difficulties in getting platforms to act swiftly.

It's against our policies to impersonate another person, and we have removed the Profile that was shared with us.

— Meta SpokespersonConfirming the removal of the impostor account after media intervention.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Australia in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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