How an AI catfish got Alicia's Instagram banned

An Australian content creator has had her career disrupted after her Instagram account was banned due to the actions of an AI-powered impersonator. Alicia, who produces ASMR content across various platforms, discovered that a fake Facebook profile—which had amassed over 500,000 followers and secured Meta verification—was using AI-generated images of her to sell subscription-based content.

The struggle for account recovery

Alicia’s own Instagram account was banned in May for violating Meta’s community standards on integrity, a move she describes as "shocking." Despite providing proof of her identity and attempting to report the fraudulent account, she was unable to resolve the issue through standard channels. She reported that Meta’s AI support directed her to create a new, verified account to access enhanced support, yet even after following those instructions, she spent hours navigating chatbots only to be met with automated emails for a month.
The financial impact was significant, as Alicia relies on her social media presence to build her audience and collaborate with brands. While she noted that she was fortunate enough to absorb the financial loss, she expressed frustration at the lack of support from the platform, stating, "I think what makes it feel so helpless is that the platforms don't really seem to want to do anything about it."

Meta’s response and policy enforcement

Following an inquiry from triple j hack, Meta restored Alicia’s account and removed the impostor profile. A spokesperson for the company stated that impersonation is against their policies and confirmed they utilize a combination of human and automated review technology to enforce these standards.
Meta reported that it removed more than 20 million accounts impersonating large creators in 2025. The company also noted that reports of impostor accounts related to large creators have decreased by 33 per cent, and it has introduced a new AI support assistant in Australia to help users resolve account issues.

Calls for greater oversight

The incident has highlighted broader concerns regarding the lack of recourse for users facing digital platform disputes. Research from the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) found that 80 per cent of Australians experienced an issue with a digital platform in the past 12 months, with over half of those cases involving account access.
Ombudsman Cynthia Gebert noted that while her office can assist with phone and internet provider disputes, it currently lacks the authority to intervene in issues involving platforms like Facebook. Ms. Gebert is pushing for increased powers to help resolve these disputes, noting that many users simply give up when faced with poor customer service and no clear path to a resolution. "I don't know that that's good enough that we do just give up when so much of our lives is online now," she said.