kuala lumpur – Pandan MP Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli reveals that he received an email threat from an anonymous individual and claims he owns a compromised video that features him with another man.
The email requested a payment of 100,000 US$ (approximately RM420,000) to prevent the video from being released, and included a blurry screenshot of the video along with a QR code for transfer.
Rafiji pointed out that his face appeared to have been digitally changed while the screenshots showed the room and bed.
“To make it even more odd after 30 minutes, I received a message from Wonchen, a member of Subang's council who was threatened with a similar video featuring the same guy,” Rafiji shared on Facebook on Saturday.
“His office acted swiftly and unlike me, he submitted a police report.”
The former economy minister has expressed distrust that everyone will invest millions of people in creating videos generated by AI to damage his reputation. He believes that the video is an old, edited piece and layered on his face.
“I think the real purpose is not just to hack electronic devices, but to hack electronic devices. If successful, it could lead to even more malicious falsehood,” he explained.
Rafizi also revealed that he frequently targets cyber attack targets targeting his personal devices, including mobile phones and laptops. The most important attacks came from international companies that targeted his iPhone and Apple accounts, he said.
He praised Apple's advanced security measures and helped prevent attacks by automatically shutting down the device when it detects an intrusion.
“In the last nine months, I have been targeted four times after receiving warnings from Apple on November 14, 2024, March 6, 2025, June 25, 2025 and September 3, 2025,” Rafiji said.
Apple has confirmed that the attack is linked to mercantil spyware. I believe this is related to Rafizi's political role and stance. He cited Advanced Spyware such as Pegasus, developed by Israeli cybersecurity company NSO Group.
“I'm sure there will be continued attempts to slander me through fake videos, fake news and cyber attacks. If anyone receives a suspicious video or image of me or a suspicious email, check first,” he warned.
Rafiji admitted that life as a politician is far from easy, as he often deals with threats, honour and cyberattacks, especially for those who challenge corruption or oppose powerful interests.
“Many people think it's easy to be a politician, but if you have principles, your daily life will be constantly confused like this,” he said. – September 13, 2025
