LEBANON (Enmaeya News) - October 18, 2025

Lebanese authorities have shut down the controversial “Charbellita” social media page following widespread outrage over alleged threats and defamatory posts targeting local companies and industrial institutions, according to LBCI.

What began as threats to expose personal photos has evolved into a sophisticated campaign of digital extortion targeting businesses and brands.

The main figure at the center of the scandal is a social media user known as “Charbellita,” who claims to run “the first exclusive artistic news platform in the Arab world” and boasts 1.6 million Instagram followers.

Charbellita has allegedly been using their platform to blackmail bakeries, factories, and food producers, publishing damaging stories and threatening exposure unless demands are met.

Among those who have filed complaints are the Bakers’ Syndicate, Wooden Bakery, and most recently, Zeit Boulos, which escalated the case to the Minister of Industry.

Attempts to contact the individual behind the account have gone unanswered, leaving authorities and victims struggling to unmask the person responsible.

According to sources at the Ministry of Economy and Trade, the ministry is working closely with the Internal Security Forces (ISF) to investigate the case.

However, officials stressed that the ISF can only intervene once an official complaint and supporting evidence are submitted.

The scandal underscores a broader problem: how social media influence can be weaponized for intimidation and financial gain. What was once a tool for publicity and promotion has, in this case, become a platform for coercion and digital crime.

With consumer products now being used as leverage in online threats, calls are growing louder for Lebanon’s judiciary to take swift action.

Behind the influencer persona, investigators warn, is not a celebrity but a cyber extortionist exploiting public trust and digital reach to operate with impunity.