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POLICE have taken over the investigation into a string of cyber blackmail attempts targeting several lawmakers from the ruling Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), involving digitally manipulated pornographic material created using artificial intelligence (AI).
Confirming the development, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) is leading the investigation, with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) providing technical assistance.
“This case is under police investigation. MCMC will assist as the technical agency, but the lead agency is the police,” he said during a press conference at the National Information Dissemination Centre (NADI) launch in Penanti, Bukit Mertajam.
Fahmi added that, at present, he had no further information regarding the case.
The extortion campaign has reportedly targeted at least four PKR politicians. Among them are Pandan MP and former economy minister Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli, Subang MP Wong Chen, Sungai Petani MP Mohammed Taufiq Johari, and Selangor Youth, Sports and Entrepreneurship Committee chairman Najwan Halimi, who is also the MP for Kota Anggerik.
Taufiq previously revealed that the perpetrator had demanded a ransom of US\$100,000 (approximately RM421,000) in exchange for withholding the distribution of a fake AI-generated pornographic video depicting his likeness.
Rafizi, in a separate statement, confirmed receiving a similar threat via email, which included a doctored video clip falsely portraying him with another man. He claimed the video was an old clip that had been manipulated to mount a smear campaign and possibly compromise his electronic devices.
Wong Chen later confirmed he had also received a nearly identical email, noting that only the face in the explicit image had been changed, while the setting, QR code and ransom note remained the same.
Najwan Halimi became the most recent PKR lawmaker to report being targeted. He too lodged a police report and called the threats a serious cybercrime.
Authorities are continuing their investigation into the coordinated blackmail effort, which some lawmakers have warned could signal a broader attempt to undermine political discourse and democratic institutions.
Meanwhile, Subang Member of Parliament Wong Chen has ridiculed an attempt to blackmail him over a digitally altered pornographic image, calling it “lazy and unprofessional” after discovering the same manipulated photo had also been sent to Pandan MP and former economy minister Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli.
New Straits Times reported Wong, a third-term lawmaker from Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), saying the only difference between the two images was the superimposed faces.
“Other than our faces, both photos are exactly identical — from the fold of the pillows and blanket, to the room, the bed, and the naked person in the photo,” he said.
“In other words, the same person had attempted to blackmail both of us, but separately.
“What is perplexing is that the blackmailer carried it out in such a lazy and unprofessional way, using the very same photo,” he added.
The threatening email, which was sent to Wong’s general parliamentary office, claimed he had been under surveillance for some time. The sender demanded a ransom of 100,000 USDT (a cryptocurrency issued by Tether Limited) and included a QR code for the payment, threatening to release the alleged video within three days.
“My officer showed me the email and did not click on any link or scan the QR code. Instead, we went straight to file a report at the Subang Jaya police headquarters,” he said.
Wong confirmed the blackmail attempt was the first such threat he had received in his 13 years as an MP. He vowed to continue performing his duties without fear or favour.
“It is ironic that as an MP for PKR, the ruling party of the Madani government, I personally feel less safe as a legislator now, compared to my time during previous governments as an opposition MP,” he said.
He expressed concern over the timing and nature of the threats, noting that both he and Rafizi had received identical emails on the same day.
“Out of the 222 MPs in Malaysia, the fact that Rafizi and I have been targeted at the very same time and day may or may not be coincidental.
“I absolutely echo his concerns that these attacks on him, and now me, may be more sinister — perhaps a direct attempt to access our computers and phones, or worse still, to subvert parliamentary democracy and silence our opinions,” Wong said.
“I will not retreat and will continue to discharge my duties and views without fear or favour.” - September 14, 2025