SINGAPORE: Several Members of Parliament (MPs) are among dozens of people who have received extortion letters with manipulated photos.
Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, as well as MPs Tan Wu Meng and Edward Chia posted on Facebook on Saturday (Apr 20) saying that they have received such letters and have lodged police reports.
Dr Balakrishnan, who is an MP for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, said in his Facebook post that several other MPs and himself received letters containing a “fake distasteful image accompanied by a threat”.
"This conduct is deplorable and totally contrary to the values and good practices that we are trying to inculcate in our society. We have filed police reports and will take appropriate legal action," he added.
The police said late Friday night that 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”.
There have been over 70 police reports since March about such extortion letters.
The letters warned of "threatening consequences" unless they contact the email address provided.
If the victims contact the email address, they would be asked to transfer money to prevent "compromising photographs and videos" of themselves from being leaked and exposed on social media, the police said.
Dr Balakrishnan said: "In this age of deep fakes and scams, we must take a strong collective stand against such conduct."
Dr Balakrishnan's fellow MP for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, Mr Chia, was among those who were targeted by the "distressing letters".
"Inside was a distasteful photo where my face was digitally manipulated onto one of the figures, accompanied by an extortion demand," he wrote on Facebook on Saturday.
He said that while it is not uncommon for public figures to face extortion scams, the rise of "deepfakes" makes it "harder to discern reality from fiction".
"With readily available tools, anyone can create deepfake content within minutes," he added.
"This can pose a significant threat to our social fabric. Unchecked, this can affect our public standing and those we love. We must unite as a community to combat these fraudulent acts."
In a Facebook video on Saturday, Dr Tan, an MP for Jurong GRC, said he also received a letter with "fake photos and threats".
He said that he does not want to speculate on the identity of the ringleaders or their location, whether in Singapore or overseas.
"I’d rather not speculate on why this is happening now, at a very important time in Singapore's history. But let me say this: We are not afraid. And we will not let anyone intimidate us or deter us from doing our duty," he added.
The police advised members of the public to ignore any instructions to initiate contact or make transfers if they received such letters.
They are also asked to report the matter to the police immediately and put the letter in a separate storage bag to hand over to the police.
Investigations are ongoing.
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Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, as well as MPs Tan Wu Meng and Edward Chia posted on Facebook on Saturday (Apr 20) saying that they have received such letters and have lodged police reports.
Dr Balakrishnan, who is an MP for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, said in his Facebook post that several other MPs and himself received letters containing a “fake distasteful image accompanied by a threat”.
"This conduct is deplorable and totally contrary to the values and good practices that we are trying to inculcate in our society. We have filed police reports and will take appropriate legal action," he added.
The police said late Friday night that 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”.
There have been over 70 police reports since March about such extortion letters.
The letters warned of "threatening consequences" unless they contact the email address provided.
If the victims contact the email address, they would be asked to transfer money to prevent "compromising photographs and videos" of themselves from being leaked and exposed on social media, the police said.
Dr Balakrishnan said: "In this age of deep fakes and scams, we must take a strong collective stand against such conduct."
Related:
Dr Balakrishnan's fellow MP for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, Mr Chia, was among those who were targeted by the "distressing letters".
"Inside was a distasteful photo where my face was digitally manipulated onto one of the figures, accompanied by an extortion demand," he wrote on Facebook on Saturday.
He said that while it is not uncommon for public figures to face extortion scams, the rise of "deepfakes" makes it "harder to discern reality from fiction".
"With readily available tools, anyone can create deepfake content within minutes," he added.
"This can pose a significant threat to our social fabric. Unchecked, this can affect our public standing and those we love. We must unite as a community to combat these fraudulent acts."
In a Facebook video on Saturday, Dr Tan, an MP for Jurong GRC, said he also received a letter with "fake photos and threats".
He said that he does not want to speculate on the identity of the ringleaders or their location, whether in Singapore or overseas.
"I’d rather not speculate on why this is happening now, at a very important time in Singapore's history. But let me say this: We are not afraid. And we will not let anyone intimidate us or deter us from doing our duty," he added.
The police advised members of the public to ignore any instructions to initiate contact or make transfers if they received such letters.
They are also asked to report the matter to the police immediately and put the letter in a separate storage bag to hand over to the police.
Investigations are ongoing.
Continue reading...