Reporting identity theft in Madrid

What the offence of identity theft is

You have logged in to Instagram at some point and found that someone has hacked your account. You have opened Facebook and seen that someone is using your photos under a different name. You do not know what to do and the platform's support offers no solution. You are looking for lawyers who specialise in identity theft in Madrid so you can report the impersonation of your Facebook, Instagram or WhatsApp account.

The offence of identity theft is committed when one person takes over another person's identity in order to pass themselves off as them and take advantage of everything that belongs to them.

You may have come across a profile on a social network that was not you but used your photos. In the great majority of cases, fake profiles online are used to commit criminal activity: defrauding or scamming other users, harvesting their personal details and information, cyberbullying or sexually abusing minors.

If they only use your name, without using any image or personal information, all you can do is report it through the social network itself so that the account is removed and blocked.

Depending on what they do with your data, one or more further offences may be committed. If they have used your username and password to get into any of your social accounts, they are breaching your right to privacy and the rules on the discovery and disclosure of private information.

If they use personal data of yours such as images or information, you can report it both on the social network and at your nearest police station. When you go to file the report you do not know what details or documents they will ask for, which is why you need lawyers who specialise in identity theft.

What the Criminal Code says about identity theft

The offence of identity theft is set out in article 401 of the Spanish Criminal Code: "Anyone who usurps the civil status of another shall be punished with a term of imprisonment of six months to three years."

With that, the Criminal Code describes conduct that usurps another person's civil status. That is why it is necessary to turn to case law when talking about identity theft on the internet.

Lawyers for reporting identity theft on social networks

Have you received a fraudulent message from someone pretending to be another person, and given out your details thinking they were who they said they were? You need specialists in social networks.

Have you ever received a WhatsApp message from a fake profile? In recent months, text messages have been sent through that network to defraud people of money. They did not say exactly who they were pretending to be, but made out they were a loved one who needed help so that you would send them money.

Both Facebook and Instagram have community standards that every user has to comply with. So if you see that someone has usurped your identity and is passing themselves off as you, or has hacked your profile to harvest all your details, you can report it on the network itself. You can also report it to the Policia Nacional or the Guardia Civil.

Report identity theft with us

Reporting identity theft with our firm is very straightforward. We are Escalera & Tuset, a firm specialising in identity theft complaints with more than 10 years of experience in the field. To find out more about what we do, get in touch through the form on our website. If you prefer, you can send us an email setting out your case or call us on the phone. We will be glad to help you with whatever you need to resolve your problems with us.

Use of the victim's personal data

Depending on what they do with your data, one or more further offences may be committed. If they have used your username and password to get into any of your social accounts, they are breaching your right to privacy and the rules on the discovery and disclosure of private information.

Facebook and Instagram

Both Facebook and Instagram have community standards that every user has to comply with. So if you see that someone has usurped your identity and is passing themselves off as you, or has hacked your profile to harvest all your details, you can report it on the network itself. You can also report it to the Policia Nacional or the Guardia Civil.