The Department of Justice announced on Tuesday that Sextortion is on the rise and that organised crime syndicates are getting involved.
In an eight-page advisory – the DOJ reminded the public to protect their personal information online so not to fall prey to sextortion groups.
“More internet users are subscribing to social media websites without protecting their personal information and allowing online strangers into their network. This (sextortion) type of crime in cyberspace is as real as any real world extortion,” the DOJ said.
“Sextortion”, derived from the words “sex” and “extortion”, occurs when an offender tries to extort money from his victim, with the threat of publishing or propagating the victim’s nude photo or video of sexual activity if the money is not paid, the DOJ added.
“This advisory is issued to increase awareness on the growing problem of ‘sextortion’ and to the public on how to avoid being victimised and what to do when the crime happens.”
“It is an emerging issue following the large number of complaints received and results of the enforcement operations conducted by the Philippine National Police-Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG), and the [DOJ] Office of Cybercrime, in coordination with INTERPOL, against organised crime groups involved in sextortion,” the report noted.