KUALA LUMPUR: Police are investigating whether threats and blackmail involving lewd Artificial Intelligence (AI)-generated content targeting members of Parliament and assemblymen were politically or financially motivated.
Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Mohd Khalid Ismail said the probe would cover all possibilities.
Asked if the attacks were politically driven, he said investigations were still ongoing, including into possible financial motives.
“It’s still under investigation, because with issues like this, sometimes certain parties take advantage of it to make threats against people for financial purposes and so on,” he told a press conference here today.
“We have received 10 cases related to cyber threats but only four police reports have been lodged. We are investigating and will inform the relevant parties of any developments,” he said.
The email threats involved demands for US$100,000 to prevent the release of the lewd content.
Those who received the threats included Pandan MP Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli; Subang MP Wong Chen; Sungai Petani MP Dr Taufiq Johari; Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Adam Adli; Selangor executive councillors Najwan Halimi and Dr Fahmi Ngah; Senator Manolan Mohamad; and Kulim assemblyman Wong Chia Zen.
On Sept 13, Rafizi said he had received an email containing a screengrab of a clip allegedly showing him with another man, adding that Wong had also received a similar email.
Rafizi said the sender demanded US$100,000 to prevent its circulation.
The next day, Wong described the threat as “lazy and unprofessional” as the same badly edited screengrab had been used in both his case and Rafizi’s.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
