Press Council Warns of Fake Journalist Accounts on WhatsApp

The Azerbaijan Press Council has issued a public alert following a wave of fraudulent WhatsApp accounts created under the identities of well-known journalists to disseminate manipulative and misleading messages. Law enforcement findings indicate that overseas cybercrime networks are orchestrating these operations using artificial intelligence tools and specialized software to tarnish professional reputations and distort public discourse.

The council advised media representatives and the public never to engage with suspicious messages and to verify incoming information directly via conventional phone calls. Victims are urged to notify the Ministry of Internal Affairs via its 102 hotline, file reports with the National Cybersecurity Agency (hotline 1654 or [email protected]), alert the public across their personal networks, and submit mass complaints (ideally 15 or more users) to prompt WhatsApp to ban the fraudulent profiles.

N. Tebrizli