Court orders removal of posts falsely linking Haddad to attack on Luciano Hang

The São Paulo Regional Electoral Court (TRE-SP) has mandated the removal of posts circulating on the social media platform X that falsely associate gubernatorial candidate Fernando Haddad with a fabricated attack on businessman Luciano Hang. The posts falsely claim Haddad ordered a crime that never happened, serving as bait to lure individuals into a financial scam.

Judge Domitila Manssur, an auxiliary judge for electoral propaganda at TRE-SP, issued the decision after a request from the Desperta São Paulo coalition and Haddad himself. The court found the publications went beyond political criticism or opinion, presenting an nonexistent crime as fact. The posts featured clickable links leading to a fake website mimicking the visual identity of the newspaper O Globo, aiming to create the appearance of legitimate journalistic content.

Luciano Hang had previously warned on August 25 about the improper use of his image on fraudulent pages. Judge Manssur ordered X to remove the content from profiles @789farh and @thadeusimoes within 24 hours. The platform must also preserve registration, payment, and metadata for the publications. Additionally, X is required to inform the court within 48 hours about any paid promotion of the posts and identify the responsible parties.

Failure to comply will result in a daily fine of R$ 5,000, potentially reaching R$ 50,000. The judge, however, temporarily denied requests to suspend the accounts or block the scam website, deeming those measures disproportionate at this stage. As of the report's publication, the materials remained online.

The scam operates by presenting a fabricated news report, complete with fake photos of Hang leaving a hospital after the non-existent attack, quotes, a fictional interview, and even fake reader comments. The narrative falsely suggests Hang "annoys the system" because he promotes a "miraculous investment platform." A forged interview then supposedly has Hang accusing Haddad and the government of trying to block this platform. The tone shifts from news to promises of easy money, featuring a "case study" of a fictional mechanic who allegedly cleared debts in four months using the platform. A first-person account from an AI-generated employee of a news company details increasing profits. The site promises specific returns, with a minimum investment of R$ 500 yielding a monthly return between R$ 5,500 and R$ 8,200, up to 16 times the invested amount in one month. A "Growth Package" for a second investment promises even higher returns.