Identity theft: A Slovak's name and face used to scrounge people's money

Articles in Slovak have appeared on a fake website, which resembles the British newspaper Daily Mirror.

Musician and writer Braňo Jobus.Musician and writer Braňo Jobus. (Source: Sme)

Slovak musician and writer Branislav Jobus, with a smile on his face, was bankrupted but managed to earn €2.3 million from home. In addition, he persuaded people that they can be like him on a Slovak TV programme, an online article reads on the made-up Major news website. It uses the graphics of the British tabloid Daily Mirror, as reported by the Sme daily.

SkryťTurn off ads
Article continues after video advertisement
SkryťTurn off ads
Article continues after video advertisement

It is fake text, the fake website of the British tabloid, but a real Slovak man who did not have any idea his identity had been recently misused.

SkryťTurn off ads

"I learned about the fake articles with my photos on my holidays in Mauritius, to which I had been looking forward for a year," said Jobus, as quoted by Sme.

Facebook blocked ads after weeks

People congratulated him on making so much money. Some were surprised that he was convinced to participate in the stupidity.

"People were getting in touch to help," claimed Jobus, as quoted by Sme. "I had to explain to everyone that my photos had been stolen."

Although he had tried to get the texts blocked by contacting Facebook, it took the tech giant days and weeks to delete them. Jobus therefore invested in adverts to tell people he is not behind the "miraculous" online articles. He has already filed a criminal complainst against an uknown individual, Sme wrote.

SkryťTurn off ads

Registered in the USA, posted in Slovak

Read also: Slovak children kidnapped? No! Read more 

Currently, there are only two fake articles about Jobus running online. As an IP address of the website suggests, it is run from the US, using the internet company Cloudfare to hide its identity.

However, the text is written in Slovak and the headline refers to the TV programme of the Slovak news channel TA3. In addition, a picture of TA3 presenter Peter Bielik as well as the name of Jozef Kuciak, who is the father of the murdered journalist Ján Kuciak, are used.

"In this case, it will be difficult to find out who paid for the launch of the website," claimed Gabriel Lachman from civic association Slovensko.Digital, as quoted by Sme. If it was paid for in bitcoins, the payment was anonymous, he added.

Top stories

The future of safer abortion in Slovakia is still unknown.

News digest: Health minister ponders politically fraught abortion pill decision

Summer in Bratislava, the future of stores, and the general prosecutor objects to a sentencing decision.


17 h
Vrakuňa’s citizens presented apples washed in water with leaked toxins at the protest in 2016.

Chemical time bomb in Bratislava’s Vrakuňa keeps ticking

The state is failing to solve leaking chemical waste dump.


31. may
Jupiter (centre) and its Galilean moons: from left Ganymede, Io, Europa and Callisto. Juice with deployed antennas and arrays is in the bottom right.

From Košice to Ganymede: Slovak engineers are leaving their mark in space

Slovaks are active participants in two ongoing space missions.


20. may
Devin Castle

Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners

Tips for the top 10 events in the capital between June 8 and June 18, plus temporary exhibitions, classical music and highlights of the year.


8. jun
SkryťClose ad