Someone Is Using Your Face Online.
We Find Them. We Stop Them.
If someone has stolen your photos, created fake profiles in your name, or is using your likeness to spread lies, you have the right to stop it. We do facial recognition investigations to find every betrayal and take action under Illinois law.
Online Impersonation Destroys Lives. Reporting It to Facebook Does Almost Nothing.
You found out someone created a fake dating profile with your photos. Or an ex is running a social media account under your name, posting things you never said. Or someone is using your face in deepfake content that makes your stomach turn.
You reported it to the platform. Maybe you got a form email back. Maybe the fake account disappeared for a week and popped right back up. Maybe nothing happened at all. God forbid your employer sees what these awful people posted using your face.
Platform reporting fails because platforms have no legal obligation to act quickly. They often don't correctly identify who is behind the fake account. They will not compensate you for the damage already done. For that, you need a lawyer who can do what Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok won't. My name gets results.
Illinois has a one-year statute of limitations for defamation. The clock starts when the impersonation is first published and NOT when you learn about it. Quit wasting your time on meaningless reports and take real action.
"I wish I'd called two months ago."
Not Sure Where Your Face Is Showing Up?
We'll tell you. Our Identity Threat Assessment scans the internet using vectorized facial recognition technology and delivers a full report of every instance we find. Our technology is so strong that it would be illegal to use without your explicit permission.
All consultations are confidential.
How We Find and Stop the People Impersonating You
Most attorneys wait for you to bring the evidence. We go find it ourselves.
We scan the internet for your face
Using professional facial recognition search tools, we run a comprehensive scan of publicly indexed websites to locate every place your likeness appears without your permission. This goes far beyond a Google reverse image search. I chose my provider by shaving my head, growing a mustache and then searching my own face. I found a photo of myself from 20 years ago still being used on a professional website. I would never use a service I did not test myself.
What I look like now 
Found by our technology We preserve the evidence
Screenshots disappear. Fake accounts get deleted and recreated. We capture legally admissible evidence with timestamps, metadata, and certified documentation so nothing can be denied later. You will receive a report naming each publicly accessible (surface-web) site where your photo is used. We can, optionally, do a social media investigation with a private investigator referral.
We analyze your legal options
Illinois gives impersonation victims real legal tools: defamation claims, the Right of Publicity Act, identity theft statutes, and more. We tell you exactly which claims apply to your situation and what the realistic outcomes look like.
We take action
Depending on your case, that means DMCA takedown notices, platform impersonation reports backed by legal authority, cease and desist letters, subpoenas to platforms for account holder information, or litigation. I will not stop until the only place you're seeing your face is in the mirror.
Flat-Fee Identity Protection Services
You will never get a surprise bill from us. Every service has a clear price before we start.
Identity Threat Assessment
Find out exactly where your face and identity are being used without your permission.
- Facial recognition scan across public web
- Reverse image search on all major platforms
- Certified evidence preservation
- Legal analysis memo with viable claims
- 30-minute consultation to review findings
- Delivered in 5 to 7 business days
- Optional Social Media Search package for additional $500.00
Legal Enforcement Package
Remove the impersonation and put the person behind it on notice.
- Up to 10 DMCA takedown notices
- Platform impersonation reports with legal backing
- Cease and desist letter(s)
- Evidence preservation updates
- 60-day follow-up monitoring
- Ongoing attorney communication
Litigation
When the impersonator won't stop, we take them to court.
- John Doe lawsuits to unmask anonymous impersonators
- Subpoenas to Meta, Google, and other platforms
- Defamation and Right of Publicity claims
- Injunctive relief to force content removal
- Damages recovery
- Coordination with licensed private investigator
Why flat fees? Most defamation attorneys bill hourly, and the national average for an online defamation case runs $14,000 to $16,000. Our Phase 1 assessment gives you a complete picture of your situation for a fraction of that, so you can make an informed decision before committing to enforcement or litigation.
Take it Down or Take Them to Court.
Illinois has some of the strongest identity and privacy protections in the country.
Defamation
False statements that damage your reputation. Illinois recognizes defamation per se for certain categories, meaning you don't have to prove actual damages. You can just prove they did something wrong and you are entitled to monetary damage because of the immoral action itself.
Right of Publicity Act/BIPA
765 ILCS 1075 prohibits unauthorized use of your identity. It provides for actual damages, disgorgement of profits, and injunctive relief.
False Light Invasion of Privacy
Broader than defamation. Covers placing you in a highly offensive false light before the public, even if no specific false statement is made.
Identity Theft (720 ILCS 5/16-30)
Criminal statute. Supports referrals to law enforcement and adds serious pressure in negotiations with impersonators.
IIED
Intentional infliction of emotional distress. Available in egregious cases where the impersonator's conduct is truly outrageous.
Consumer Fraud Act
815 ILCS 505 applies when impersonation involves commercial activity, such as selling products or services under your identity.
"I wish I'd called two months ago."
Every Day You Wait, the Evidence Gets Harder to Preserve
Fake accounts get deleted and recreated. Posts disappear. While you might be tracking them down, the one-year clock keeps running. Talk to an attorney now.
All consultations are confidential.
Who We Help
Online impersonation doesn't just happen to celebrities. These are the types of cases we handle every day.
Individuals
Someone created a fake dating profile with your photos. An ex is running a social media account in your name. A stranger is using your face in AI-generated content. You discovered fake accounts when a friend sent you a screenshot. Someone phished your mom pretending to be you.
Business Owners
A competitor is impersonating your brand. Fake social media accounts are confusing your customers. Someone is posing as your company to collect payments or spread false information.
Professionals and Content Creators
Your content is being stolen and reposted. Someone is using your credentials or likeness to solicit clients. Defamatory content attached to your name is affecting your career and your revenue.
Justin Abdilla
I've built my practice on flat fees and straight answers. We've filed 7 figure defamation cases and forced bad guys to drop 35,000 files because they were obtained with fraudulent representation. If someone is using your face, your name, or your content without your permission, I'll tell you exactly what we can do about it and what it will cost before we start. I don't bill for my consultations.
Common Questions About Online Impersonation in Illinois
Yes. Illinois treats identity theft as a criminal offense under 720 ILCS 5/16-30. Beyond the criminal statute, victims can pursue civil claims for defamation, invasion of privacy, Right of Publicity violations, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The specific claims available depend on what the impersonator is doing with your identity. Personally, I wouldn't rely on the cops to clear my own name, I would do it myself.
At Abdilla & Associates, our Identity Threat Assessment starts at $500 flat fee. Legal enforcement packages (takedowns, cease and desist letters) run $1,500. The social media packages for each of these raises the costs, because those companies are taking steps to make it harder to sue them. Nationally, the average online defamation lawsuit costs $14,000 to $16,000. Our flat-fee model gives you clarity on costs before you commit.
We can do this for you easily, but we need to bring in a third party to help. We've partnered with a private investigator to do social media queries. We take all the images off major social media platforms (manually!) and create a database, then run the facial recognition software against the local database. This takes a lot of time, so it's quite expensive.
Facial recognition search tools scan publicly indexed websites for photos matching your face. Unlike a reverse image search (which only finds exact copies of a specific photo), facial recognition identifies your face in any photo, in any context. This means we can find instances of impersonation you didn't even know existed. I found a photo of myself from 20 years ago with my own technology.
Platform reporting is slow, unreliable, and limited. Platforms cannot identify who is behind a fake account. They cannot compensate you for damages. They cannot issue a court order preventing the impersonator from creating new accounts. An attorney can subpoena the platform for account holder information, pursue legal claims for damages, and obtain injunctions that carry the force of law.
For defamation claims, Illinois has a one-year statute of limitations from the date the defamatory content was first published. Other claims (Right of Publicity, IIED, identity theft) may have different timelines. Do not wait. Evidence disappears, accounts get deleted, and your window for legal action shrinks every day.
In most cases, yes. If the fake profile damages your reputation, you may have a defamation claim. If it uses your likeness without permission, the Illinois Right of Publicity Act applies. If the conduct is extreme enough, IIED may be available. The first step is identifying the person behind the account, which often requires subpoenas to the platform. That is something we do regularly.
Learn More About Your Rights
Illinois Online Impersonation Lawyer
Your legal options when someone is impersonating you online in Illinois.
Identity Threat Assessment
How our facial recognition scan works and what you get in the report.
Illinois Deepfake Laws
The laws that protect you from AI-generated impersonation in Illinois.
What to Do If Someone Is Impersonating You Online
Step-by-step guide for Illinois residents dealing with online impersonation.
"I wish I'd called two months ago."
Your Identity Belongs to You. We'll Make Sure It Stays That Way.
Free case review. Flat-fee pricing. An attorney who actually picks up the phone.
All consultations are confidential.