EXPOSED: How fake TikTok accounts impersonate actor Bolanle Ninalowo

I know you think your favorite actor, Bolanle Ninalowo, sent you a direct message or followed you on TikTok. Don’t be deceived, that’s not who you think it is. He is not on TikTok!

Impersonation is not a new phenomenon. Arguably, the earliest recorded case was Jacob impersonating Esau, a fraudulent act that affected many generations. And it didn’t stop there. The advent of the internet created even more avenues for deception, with the rise of social media exacerbating the problem.

TikTok scams involving impersonation have been going on for a while, with the latest victim being popular Nollywood actor Bolanle Ninalowo, also known as Nino B.

Despite not having a TikTok account, over 100 accounts have been impersonating Bolanle even as early as 2022. On March 25th, he posted a video exposing these fake accounts using his identity.

“Dang! And I am not even on TikTok. How do I now open a REAL account? People dey para ooo!!!”

This revelation sparked reactions from fans and celebrities alike, with many sharing their experiences—ranging from love scams to financial fraud.

According to Instagram users @rhemmies and @mammi_shawn, they were approached by impersonators pretending to be in a relationship. Rhemmies revealed, “One is in my DM asking me out,” while @mammi_shawn stated, “One of them asked for my hand in marriage.”

Another user, @yolandascott675, recounted how an impersonator tried to defraud her of $1,000. She stated, “I exposed him because he tried to contact me, asking for one thousand dollars to come see me…”

Fellow actor Angela Okorie also shared her experience, stating that most of her fans were following her impersonator on TikTok. She noted that the situation is similar on Facebook, where scammers have been deceiving her followers.

In her words:

“…the fake Angela Okorie on TikTok get followers pass me cos I don’t come on live or post there like that. People are gullibly de follow person wey never enter live before. If you enter my name for Facebook, ahhh, over one million people are answering the name! And banks dey even open accounts for them with my name and their face. Banks should get ready, cos I’ll fish every one of them out, and they’ll pay for all the scam they’ve been scamming my fans.”

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Examining Tiktok’s Impersonation and Parody policy

TikTok does not permit impersonation on its platform; however, it allows fan accounts under certain conditions. Parody or fan-based accounts must clearly disclose their nature in the account name (not just the username). For example, an acceptable parody account might be named “Bolanle Ninalowo (Parody)” with a username like @blllaagha.

TikTok provides guidelines on how to operate parody accounts. To takedown impersonation accounts Tiktok users can simply make file a report directly through the app.

Here’s how to identify fake accounts on TikTok

A common pattern among Bolanle’s impersonators is the use of low-quality videos and pictures. However, there are other ways to spot fake accounts:

• Suspicious Usernames: Fake accounts often have random numbers, misspellings, or extra symbols (e.g., @user1234567).
• Incomplete Bio: A real account usually has a bio, while fake ones may leave it empty or have vague statements.
• To avoid falling for impersonator scams avoid clicking links from unknown accounts, report and block suspicious users and check their other social media (if linked).
• Lack of Original Content: Impersonators rarely post their own videos.
• Following-to-Follower Ratio: Fake accounts often follow many users but have significantly fewer followers.
• Scam-like Interaction: They may ask for money, profess love quickly, claim you won a prize, or request personal details.
• No Verification Badge: None of Bolanle’s impersonators had a verification badge, yet some had followings in the tens of thousands, the highest reaching 97.6k.

How to Protect Yourself

• Avoid clicking links from unknown accounts.
• Report and block suspicious users.
• Check if the person has verified accounts on other social media platforms.