Over 70 reports of extortion letters with manipulated obscene photos of victims since March: Police
The letters were sent to the victims’ workplaces.
A person opening an envelope. (File photo: iStock)
This audio is generated by an AI tool.
SINGAPORE: There were more than 70 reports of victims receiving extortion letters with manipulated obscene photos of themselves since March, police said on Friday (Apr 19).
The letters, which were sent by post to the victims' workplaces, contained pictures of the victims' faces superimposed onto obscene photographs of a man and a woman purportedly in an “intimate and compromising position”, read the news release.
Based on preliminary investigations, the victims’ photographs and workplace addresses appear to be obtained from publicly available online sources.
The letters warned of threatening consequences unless they contact the email address provided.
If the victims contact the email address, they would be threatened to transfer money to prevent “compromising photographs and videos” of themselves from being leaked and exposed on social media, police added.
According to the police, a 50-year-old victim lost S$20,000 (US$14,700) after responding to the email address and transferring money to a bank account allegedly provided by the other party.
Investigations are ongoing.
The public is advised to ignore any instructions to contact the other party or transfer money if they receive a manipulated photograph or video.
They are also advised to report the matter to the police immediately and put the letter in a separate storage bag to handover to the police.
“With advancements to photo and video editing technology, including the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered tools, manipulated photographs and videos may increasingly be used for extortion,” police said.
“Never share provocative photos/videos of yourself online or through chat apps as they might fall into the wrong hands.”
