SHAH ALAM: More than 300 sextortion cases were reported in Selangor to date this year, police said.

       Selangor CID chief Senior Asst comm Nik Ezanee Mohd Faisal said there were only 50 such cases reported last year.

       “The perpetrators ranged from syndicates to ex-lovers. The victims recorded lewd acts and it came back to haunt them,” he told an online cyber crime forum yesterday.

       SAC Nik Ezanee said sextortion cases were divided into three categories.

       “The first involves those who recorded lewd acts and within a few days, got extorted in exchange for the videos not to be shared.

       “Payments were demanded in various forms, including fund transfer and cryptocurrency,” he said.

       The second category involves former lovers or spouses.

       “In these cases, the couple recorded acts when they were together. However, when they broke up or got divorced, the ex-partner would threaten exposure out of spite or jealousy,” he said.

       The third category is the rarest, involving phones being hacked after they were lost or sent for repairs, he said.

       Police believe many sextortion cases last year went unreported.