Cyber extortion cases up by 47 per cent in first half of the year as online activity picks up

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Cyber criminals have exploited the increase in online activity and digital services over the last couple of years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with 203 cyber extortion cases reported in the first half of this year, a 47 per cent increase from the 138 cases cited during the same...

In response to queries from The Sunday Times, the police said:"Cyber criminals have been taking advantage of the pandemic where a surge in online activity and digital services has been observed and people are increasingly looking for services online, or befriending persons online, thus putting them at risk of exploitation by cyber extortion."

Mr Chong Ee Jay, a cyber wellness expert at Focus on the Family Singapore, said perpetrators would never ask for revealing photos at the onset, but instead set about developing a relationship with victims first to make them feel at ease so they would eventually let their guard down.Her classmate, a Secondary 4 girl, had started talking to a man on Instagram and they exchanged many flirtatious messages.

"The Internet is where many people turn to to get their needs met, whether it's physical, psychological or emotional. I think Covid-19 may have exacerbated this issue," she said.

 

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