ANEM ALARM: The Prosecutor's Office should investigate who is behind the abuse of the likeness and name of Brankica Stanković.

Insajder submitted a report yesterday to the Prosecutor's Office for High-Tech Crime against unidentified individuals who, without the knowledge or consent of Brankica Stanković, used her likeness and photograph in a manner that is unlawful, considering that it falsely solicits investments with the intent to mislead and deceive the citizens of Serbia, thereby committing the criminal act of fraud under Article 208 of the Criminal Code.

The disputed content, as they state, has been used on the internet, is accessible to the general public, and is utilized for the purpose of unlawfully acquiring property benefits at the expense of the citizens of the Republic of Serbia. These actions have created a false impression that consent was granted for such use, which is not true, nor has anyone ever been stated or directed to invest in any type of investment. The portal of the daily newspaper Blic, as well as the National Bank of Serbia, has also been abused.

This is not the first time that similar instances of the misuse of Brankica Stanković's name and photograph have occurred on the internet. Previously, a scam/clickbait campaign was launched on social media platforms Instagram and Facebook that exploited elements of the Insajder brand, as well as the likeness of Brankica Stanković and others from Insajder, with the aim of defrauding the public. The posts contained false claims about an alleged “exclusive show” and “secrets that everyone must know.” By clicking on these posts, users are redirected to a fabricated interview with Brankica Stanković, supposedly published on N1, and then to pages promoting crypto investments and collecting personal data.

These cases have also been previously reported to the prosecutor's office.

“Through false content on the internet, in addition to defrauding citizens, there is an attempt to undermine the credibility of Brankica Stanković and Insajder TV. Furthermore, this can also jeopardize safety. We call upon the Prosecutor's Office for High-Tech Crime, as well as the Service for the Fight Against High-Tech Crime of the Ministry of the Interior, to act promptly to remove this content from the internet, and subsequently to identify and sanction the organizers of this fraud. We also urge other relevant institutions to create a mechanism for rapid response in such situations to automatically remove content that can cause significant harm and disrupt the functioning of state institutions,” stated Veran Matić, President of the ANEM Management Board and member of the Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists.

Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM)

The project “System for the Prevention of Violence and Protection of Journalists” is being implemented by ANEM in partnership with Insajder TV and the Center for the Development of Local Media, with the support of the European Union.