Shania Shayal Prasad 
[Photo: FILE]
Victims of sextortion are paying between $100 and $5,000 to prevent their intimate images from being shared online.
This was revealed by Online Safety Commission Prosecutor Joshua Singh during the Digital Media Literacy Training.
Singh says sextortion cases remain a serious and growing concern, with perpetrators threatening to release intimate photos or videos unless money is paid.
He adds that sextortion is closely linked to image-based abuse, which the Online Safety Commission considers the most serious type of online offending under the Online Safety Act 2018.
“And this is a very sad state for our country, right, because no matter how much we create awareness for victims, they follow victims anyway, right. Why, because perpetrators just don’t care.”
Singh adds that perpetrators are becoming increasingly sophisticated, using fake profiles, social media platforms, and encrypted messaging apps to target victims.
“They share intimate images, intimate videos, and then they break up. Then the boyfriend goes on, and he becomes a sour ex-boyfriend. He goes on Facebook and puts up these pictures of the complainant, and before even doing that, he is sending those pictures to the complainant and threatening her.”
The Commission is urging the public not to give in to demands for money and to report sextortion cases immediately.
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