More than 70 victims have reported receiving extortion letters with fabricated, obscene images of themselves since March, according to police on Friday ( Apr 19 ).
The words, which were sent by post to the patients ‘ offices, contained images of the victims ‘ faces superimposed onto vulgar photographs of a man and a person apparently in an “intimate and reducing position”, read the news release.
Based on preliminary investigations, the victims ’ photographs and workplace addresses appear to be obtained from publicly available online sources.
If the letters do n’t contact the email address provided, they’re warned of threatening consequences.
According to police, if the subjects phone the email address, they will be threatened to move money in order to stop “compromising images and videos” of themselves from being leaked and exposed on social media, according to authorities.
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.
If the public receives a manipulated photo or video, they are advised to ignore any instructions to get in touch with the other party or transfer money.
Additionally, it is advised that they immediately report the situation to the police and that they store the letter in a separate storage bag.
Using manipulated photos and videos, including the use of Artificial Intelligence ( AI)-powered tools, may become more and more common as extortion, according to police.
Never post provocative images or videos of yourself online or through chat apps, as they could end up in the wrong hands. ”