5 ministers among targets of emails demanding S$67,000 payment over deepfaked compromising images

Five ministers were among the recipients of extortionary emails demanding cryptocurrency payment in return for not publishing compromising doctored images.

Over 100 public servants affected

According to the Ministry of Digital Development and Innovation (MDDI), the affected ministers are Minister for Transport Chee Hong Tat, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong, Minister for National Development Desmond Lee, Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli, and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Maliki Osman, The Straits Times reported.

The emails purportedly contain screenshots from a video where the faces of the recipients are superimposed on people in compromising positions.

More than 100 public servants across 31 government agencies received the emails since Nov. 26, which contain the same images, with the only difference being the superimposed face of the victims.

The affected agencies include the education, home affairs, and manpower ministries.

Employees of statutory boards were also targeted, including those from the Singapore Tourism Board and the Building and Construction Authority.

The emails contained the same demand: a payment of 50,000 Tether (USDT) cryptocurrency (S$67,000) in return for not releasing the images.

Images of victims appear to have been taken from sources like LinkedIn

MDDI added that the faces of the victims appear to have been taken from publicly available sources such as LinkedIn.

It also noted that members of Hong Kong's Legislative Council have received similar emails.

The public servants who have received the emails have been advised to make police reports.

Separately, the Ministry of Health said in a statement on Nov. 28 that some of its staff had also received obscene extortionary emails.

This emails also contained manipulated images that had superimposed publicly sourced pictures of the victims’ faces on obscene screenshots of a man and a woman purportedly in an intimate and compromising situation.

No monetary loss has been reported from the affected healthcare staff and they have been advised to file police reports.

The Minister for Digital Development and Information, Josephine Teo, described the tactic as "despicable" and said the latest wave appeared to be targeting public officials, whose contact details are easily accessible online.

Teo said in a Nov. 28 Facebook post that those who receive such emails should not respond to the scammers or transfer any money.

Instead, they should report the matter to the police immediately.

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Top photo by Mothership