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

These are sponsored internet advertisements that direct citizens to a fake news article published on a page that mimics the appearance of the BIRN website, promoting a non-existent investment fund. The authority and credibility of BIRN and journalist Jelena Zorić have been misused to persuade citizens to provide personal information and invest money in this scam, the editorial board stated.

The text includes a fabricated statement falsely attributed to Jelena Zorić, and it is particularly concerning that tools of artificial intelligence were used to create a fake photograph published alongside the promotional text about the non-existent fund.

In the photograph, which is actually AI-generated, the journalist is depicted next to Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, although such a photograph does not exist in reality, BIRN stated, urging citizens not to trust such advertisements and not to provide personal and financial information on unverified internet pages.

BIRN will report this case of abuse to the internet platforms where the disputed advertisement was promoted, as well as to the Prosecutor's Office for High-Tech Crime and the Regulatory Body for Electronic Communications and Postal Services.

“With false content on the internet, in addition to defrauding citizens, there is an attempt to undermine Jelena Zorić and BIRN. This can also jeopardize safety. We call on the Prosecutor's Office for High-Tech Crime, as well as the Service for the Fight Against High-Tech Crime of the Ministry of Interior, to promptly act to remove this content from the internet and subsequently identify and sanction the organizers of this scam,” said Veran Matić, Chairman of the Board of ANEM and a member of the Permanent Working Group for Journalist Safety.

It is worth noting that this is not the first time the names of journalists and media outlets have been misused in online scams. Several such cases have been reported this year and last year due to the misuse of the likeness and name of Brankica Stanković and Insajder, and in none of these cases have the perpetrators been identified so far.

Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM)

The project “Improving the System of Mechanisms for Prevention and Response in Cases of Threats to the Safety and Lives of Journalists in Serbia” 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.