What is the 'Impersonation Response Kit' every active numismatic dealer should have ready before they ever need it?
The Impersonation Response Kit is a set of five pre-drafted documents that enables you to respond to a YouTube impersonation scam within the first hour — without drafting anything from scratch while simultaneously dealing with panicked subscriber messages, platform reports, and police procedures. Prepare these documents once; review and update them annually; access them the moment impersonation is detected. The goal is to compress the critical first-hour response from a confused, reactive scramble into a confident, pre-planned execution.
Document 1 — Platform takedown email template
Pre-addressed to trustandsafety@youtube.com (and equivalents for other platforms). Subject line: 'URGENT — Impersonation Channel Using My Identity and Running Financial Scam — [Date]'. Body: 'I am [Name], the creator of the authentic [Channel Name] channel at [authentic URL]. A fraudulent channel at [URL — to be filled in] is impersonating my identity, using my videos without permission, and soliciting registration fees from my subscribers. This is an active ongoing financial fraud causing immediate harm to victims. I am attaching: (1) screenshots of the fraudulent channel; (2) comparison with my authentic channel; (3) evidence of registration fee solicitations; (4) my FIR number [to be added]. I request immediate takedown of the fraudulent channel and preservation of all user data associated with it for police investigation, pursuant to IT Rules 2021 and IT Act Section 67C.' Leave blanks for the specific details to be filled in when needed.
Document 2 — Public denial post template
Ready to post across all platforms simultaneously within the first 15 minutes. 'URGENT FRAUD WARNING: A FAKE YOUTUBE CHANNEL IS IMPERSONATING ME | The channel [to be filled in] is NOT me. I have NOT authorised this channel. It is using my videos and name to collect registration fees from subscribers. I DO NOT charge registration fees. If you have paid money to this channel, call 1930 IMMEDIATELY — they can freeze the scammer's bank account. Report the scam at cybercrime.gov.in. My ONLY authentic channels are [list]. I am filing a police complaint right now. Please share this warning so we can protect more subscribers.'
Document 3 — FIR draft
Pre-drafted with all the relevant sections cited, with blanks for the specific fake channel details. Sections: IT Act §66C (identity theft — using my identity, photographs, and channel name without authorisation); IT Act §66D (cheating by personation using computer resources — the YouTube channel is a computer resource used to impersonate me and obtain money from victims); BNS §318 (cheating — subscribers deceived into paying registration fees they would not have paid without the impersonation); BNS §336 (impersonation — using my identity to deceive others); Copyright Act §51 (infringement — using my videos without permission for commercial fraud). Include blanks for: police station name; FIR date; fake channel URL; estimated number of victims; estimated amount collected; any specific victim details available.
Document 4 — Cybercrime portal complaint text
Pre-written complaint text for cybercrime.gov.in covering all relevant fields: category (financial fraud + cybercrime); description (YouTube impersonation + registration fee scam); accused details (fake channel URL — platform will provide identity details to police); evidence (list of attachments); losses (estimate based on known victims + scale of operation). Having this text pre-written means the portal complaint can be submitted in under 10 minutes rather than requiring 45 minutes of careful drafting under pressure.
Document 5 — Victim support message template
A message to send to every subscriber who contacts you claiming to have paid the impersonator. 'Thank you for alerting me. The channel/account that contacted you is NOT me — I am filing a police complaint right now. Please take these steps immediately: (1) Call 1930 — this is the National Cybercrime Helpline; tell them you paid money to a fraudster and give them the scammer's UPI ID and phone number; they can freeze the account. (2) File a report at cybercrime.gov.in. (3) Save every screenshot of your conversation with the fake account. (4) Do not pay any more money. My FIR number is [to be added]. Please share this message with anyone else who may have been contacted.' Pre-drafted and ready to personalise with the specific details.
Laws & authorities referenced in this chapter
IT Act 2000 — §66C (identity theft), §66D (cheating by personation), §67C (preservation order): Document 1 and Document 3 cite these
BNS 2023 — §318 (cheating), §336 (impersonation), §340 (forgery): Document 3 FIR draft
Copyright Act 1957 — §51 (infringement of videos used without permission): Document 3 FIR draft
National Cybercrime Helpline 1930 — Document 5 victim support: first instruction to all victims; time-critical bank freeze
National Cybercrime Reporting Portal — cybercrime.gov.in: Document 4
Five-document Impersonation Response Kit: (1) platform takedown email template; (2) public denial post template; (3) FIR draft with all sections pre-cited; (4) cybercrime portal complaint text; (5) victim support message template. Prepare once; update annually. When impersonation occurs: execute the Kit in sequence within the first hour. First hour target: denial post live (15 min) + platform report submitted (30 min) + cybercrime complaint filed (45 min) + FIR drafted for police station (60 min). The Kit converts an overwhelming situation into a manageable sequence of pre-planned actions.
This is educational content, not legal advice. For a specific situation, please consult a qualified legal professional. Excerpted from Currency, Coins & The Law by Mayank Agarwal, Part 42: YouTube Impersonation & Registration Fee Scams — Platform-Specific Legal Response.