Singapore's Indian-origin Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, along with several Members of Parliament, has been subjected to an extortion attempt involving fabricated and manipulated explicit images.
In a Facebook statement, Balakrishnan disclosed that he, along with other MPs, received letters containing "fake distasteful image[s] accompanied by a threat."
Describing the act as "deplorable" and antithetical to societal values, Balakrishnan asserted that legal action would be pursued, with police reports already filed.
The letters, dispatched via post to the victims' workplaces, depicted their faces digitally imposed onto indecent photographs of individuals purportedly engaged in intimate acts, as per police reports issued late Friday.
Reports indicate a surge in similar extortion schemes, with over 70 cases reported to the police since March.
The letters, bearing threats of dire consequences, prompt recipients to reach out via provided email addresses.
Upon contacting the provided email, recipients are coerced into transferring funds to prevent the dissemination of alleged compromising visual content on social media platforms.
“In this age of deep fakes and scams, we must take a strong collective stand against such conduct.” “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," Balakrishnan said.
“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,” he wrote.
The police, advising against compliance with extortion instructions, encourage prompt reporting of such incidents. Recipients are urged to preserve the letters as potential evidence for ongoing investigations.
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