Malaysia asks Google for help investigating blackmail threats

[NEW YORK] Malaysia will seek assistance from Alphabet’s Google to investigate sex video threats targeting some officials and lawmakers, Bernama reported.

Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil, who was among those targeted, was quoted by Bernama as saying that the government will request Google’s help as the blackmail bids were sent via email.

Fahmi had earlier revealed on his X account that at least nine members of parliament received the threat via Gmail, threatening to release the videos if payment of US$100,000 is not made. Fahmi warned that the offence can carry a jail term of up to two years.

Former Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli is among the other high-profile politicians, most of them from Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s People Justice Party, who received the same threat.

Opposition lawmaker Wan Saiful Wan Jan revealed in a separate Facebook post that he had also received the threat, and said that many other lawmakers probably were sent the same email but had not realised it yet. They denied being in the sex videos or having knowledge of the content.

Free Malaysia Today, in a separate report, said that authorities have received four police reports from three members of parliament and a senator over the threatening emails. BLOOMBERG