From the archive. First published in October 2015. Rewritten for clarity, with a note on what happened afterwards.
In 2015 Facebook began acting against unofficial pages built to look like the official presence of a celebrity, brand or cause. The tactic was as old as pages themselves: create something official looking, let the audience assume it is genuine, and watch the follower count climb.
Where enforcement went
It expanded enormously and became one of Meta’s largest moderation programmes. In 2024 Meta reported removing more than 23 million impersonating profiles, and a further 10 million profiles impersonating large creators in 2025. The Professional Dashboard now carries impersonation alerts and in-app reporting.
Why this matters for anyone buying a page
This is one of the most expensive mistakes available in this market, and it is easy to make.
- A page built on someone else’s name or likeness is not an asset. It is a liability with followers attached, and it can be removed on a single complaint from the rights holder.
- Check what the audience thinks it followed. If the followers believe they are following an official presence, you inherit that problem the moment you change anything.
- Intellectual property complaints are handled by a dedicated process and are acted on far more reliably than most reports.
- Fan pages for a brand or public figure are a category we decline, because the risk cannot be priced sensibly.
Where the line sits
A page about a subject is fine. A page presenting itself as the subject is not. The test is whether a reasonable follower would believe they are hearing from the person or company itself. If the name, imagery and tone all suggest an official source, no disclaimer in the about section will save it.
Our seller checklist covers what we can and cannot take on.
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