The ‘sextortion’ syndicate coerced victims into downloading a malicious mobile app, which gave the cybercriminals access to their contacts. They then blackmailed the victims, threatening to circulate nude videos of them if they did not pay a certain amount. Digging into reports from victims, INTERPOL collaborated with law enforcement in Hong Kong and Singapore to take down the syndicate.
34 ‘Sextortion’ Cases, 12 Criminals Arrested
INTERPOL has traced 34 ‘sextortion’ cases to the criminal syndicate. The cybercriminals contacted their victims through online adult and dating platforms. Luring them with the idea of engaging in “naked chats,” the criminals urged the victims to download a malicious app designed to swipe their contacts. With access to their victims’ contacts, the criminals put their financial blackmail scheme into effect, threatening to share nude videos of them with their friends and family. Raymond Lam Cheuk Ho, the acting head of the Hong Kong Police’s Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau, said analysis of a “zombie command and control server” that hosted the malicious app allowed law enforcement to identify and locate the cybercriminals behind the ‘sextortion’ scheme. “In July and August, 12 suspected core members of the sextortion ring were arrested,” INTERPOL said in a post on its website. “I am convinced that no single police agency would have been able to achieve this result alone,” Lam said, describing the collaboration between INTERPOL and local law enforcement as “absolutely crucial.”
INTERPOL’s #YouMayBeNext Campaign
INTERPOL launched a campaign — dubbed #YouMayBeNext — to raise awareness about the sharp rise in digital extortion schemes in June 2022. The campaign was supported by 75 INTERPOL member countries and 21 other entities, focusing on sextortion, ransomware, and Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. “Having a criminal access the most intimate aspects of your life and using this information against you to extort enormous sums of cash is anyone’s nightmare – and the most frightening part is that anyone could fall victim to this type of crime,” INTERPOL’s Executive Director of Police Services Stephen Kavanagh said. Sextortionists know that victims would be too embarrassed to go to the police to report the crime, he said. However, Kavanagh urged victims to report such crimes. A single click on a malicious link is enough to trigger a sextortion crime, as is sending intimate photos or videos to unknown individuals. INTERPOL recommends that anyone who falls victim to sextortion or other cybercrime ceases contact with the perpetrators. The international police organization cautioned victims not to pay the criminals. Instead, gather evidence of the crime and report them to the police. Sextortion and other cybercrimes, such as phishing, have been on the rise since the Covid-19 pandemic. You can learn more about sextortion and how to protect yourself in our in-depth guide to sextortion.
