SHAH ALAM: More than 300 sextortion cases have been recorded in Selangor this year, says Senior Asst comm Nik Ezanee Mohd Faisal.
The Selangor CID chief said there was definitely a spike in cases as there were only 50 of such cases last year.
"The perpetrators range from syndicates to jaded ex-lovers.
"The victims recorded lewd acts and it came back to haunt them," he said during an online forum on cyber crimes on Tuesday (Sept 14).
SAC Nik Ezanee said sextortion cases are divided into three categories.
"The first category were those who recorded lewd acts and within a few days, they were extorted in exchange for the videos not being spread.
"The culprits would ask for payments in various forms including fund transfers and cryptocurrency," he added.
The second category for sextortion cases involved former lovers or spouses, SAC Nik Ezanee said.
"In such cases, the couple would record acts together when they were in a relationship.
"However, after they broke up or got divorced, the former lover would threaten to spread their recordings out of spite or jealousy," he said.
The third and rarest category were those whose phone were hacked after they lost their phones or sent it for repairs, he added.
"Some people take private photos or record videos and later they lose their phones or sent it for repairs.
"Within a few days, someone would contact them and demand money in exchange for not spreading the photos and videos," he said.
SAC Nik Ezanee said police believed that sextortion cases last year were much higher but many went unreported.
"We believe many victims were ashamed of reporting such cases.
"However, we urge victims to come forward so that we can investigate and bring the culprits to justice.
"We will do our best to find those responsible," he said.
SAC Nik Ezanee advised the public to not record anything that might harm their reputation.
"It is best if we don't record or take photos of such acts.
"We must stay vigilant," he said.