KUALA LUMPUR: Valentine’s Day is celebrated on Feb 14 every year but for some scammers, they wish every day to be the universal day of love.
Despite tough actions by the police, these criminals continue their relentless bids to win love and gain money through sextortions and love scams.
With Valentine’s Day yesterday, the police were again having to remind the public not to be fooled and trapped by such nefarious schemes.
Acting Selangor police chief Deputy Comm Datuk S. Sasikala Devi said 115 investigation papers had been opened on sextortion cases in the state last year, resulting in the arrest of 39 individuals, 18 of them women.
In 2021, more than 300 sextortion cases were recorded.
While there might not be a spike in sextortion cases during Valentine’s Day, syndicates or individual suspects might still be scouring social media for potential victims, DCP Sasikala told The Star.
“The scammers would blackmail the victims for between RM1,000 and RM3,000 but the demand would still persist every month even after the victim had made the initial payment.
“Victims, mostly aged between 20 and 50, would often lodge police reports when they are not able to cope with the blackmailers’ demands anymore.
“We urge the public to keep up-to-date with the latest modus operandi used by scammers in sextortion,” she said.
In such cases, victims were persuaded to send explicit photos and videos of themselves to criminals, who then blackmailed them, Kuala Lumpur police chief Comm Datuk Azmi Abu Kassim said.
“Such criminals prey upon the threat of ruining the victim’s reputation by spreading the photos or videos online if their demands are not met.
“Some cases of sextortion were committed by syndicates while others involved ex-lovers or partners,” he added.
Comm Azmi urged the public to be mindful of sharing any photo or video online with someone.
“If you do share, then you face a risk of being shamed or worse, blackmailed,” he said.
Even with lovers, one should not share “everything” if they were not married, Comm Azmi cautioned.
Love scam cases begin with the suspect befriending and beginning a “relationship” with the victim over social media. Before long, the suspect will profess his love for the victim, saying that he wants to come to Malaysia to marry her.
He would then convince the victim to give him money as a form of financial assistance. After the money is transferred, the culprit disappears and becomes uncontactable.
Comm Azmi said some single women and men were vulnerable to tactics used by the scammers.
He called on those who have been victims of sextortion or love scams to lodge a police report as soon as possible.
“We will take stern action against those responsible. Thus, it is important for people to report the matter,” he said.
Over in Thailand, it was reported that the country is also facing similar problems in love-based scams such as sextortion.
Thai police have since warned the public to be wary of the scams in conjunction with Valentine’s Day.
Malaysians Against Rape, Assault and Snatch Theft founder Dave Avran reminded the public to never engage in amorous behaviour online.
“They should not click on a link or download a file from an unsolicited email or direct message on social media.
“Tape over the webcam to preserve privacy and if you receive a suspicious message from someone you know, contact the person through another medium to verify the message’s authenticity,” he said.
He also advised the public to maintain the security of all their electronic devices.
“The most effective defence against online threats is to utilise the most up-to-date security software, web browser and operating system available.
“Reputable automatic updates should be enabled to ensure you receive the most up-to-date patches as soon as they become available,” he added.
Avran said the public should also be well informed of the latest online scams.
“Sextortion schemes are among the worst for people’s mental health and reputation. This scam primarily preys on emotionally vulnerable individuals, abusing them in order to profit financially.
“Blackmailers use the victims’ dignity and reputation against them,” he said.
