In a Smear campaign targeting Malaysian lawmakers, more than 10 controlled MPs received emails and threatened to pay USD 100,000 to avoid the release of “sex videos.” Authorities said the email was similarly spoken and includes AI videos showing men who shared physical characteristics.
According to Communications Minister Fami Fazil, lawmakers received similar emails over the weekend along with QR codes. According to the South China Morning Post, if they don't pay, the clip will be made public.
Communications Minister Fami Fazil has obtained X and posted the post. “The government has noted reports of several elected representatives who received emails containing threatening elements with screenshots of fake videos based on artificial intelligence (“AI”). The wording with similar screenshots is believed to have been sent from the same email address,” he said, adding that he “received a similar email.”
He then warned that the government had taken the incident seriously and directed Malaysian officials to detect and track down criminals who sent blackmail emails.
Reports show that almost all lawmakers belong to the ruling coalition.
The report added that sex videos are a common smear tactic in Malaysian politics and obscures serious issues. In 2019, a well-known politician and then minister Azmin Ali got caught up in a scandal. The video showing him intimately involved with another young male politician has gone viral across the country. Political analysts fought this practice, citing it as a troubling effect on politics. They believe it reflects the country's lack of mature, healthy political culture.
