PUBLISHED ONApril 15, 2026 12:22 AMBYSean LerThe police have alerted the public on recent reports of harassment emails involving digitally modified images of victims.
There have been about three such cases reported since March this year.
In an advisory issued on Tuesday (April 14) night, the police said that victims would receive emails at their work email addresses containing images of them that were digitally modified to show them appearing to engage in sexual acts.
Police said the senders would threaten to upload the deepfakes online and send them to the victim's workplace, if they did not respond to the emails.
Those who receive such manipulated photograph, video or screenshot, should remain calm, the police said, as the photographs and email addresses were likely obtained from publicly available online sources.
They are advised not to initiate contact, make monetary or cryptocurrency transfers, but to report the matter to the police immediately. This includes providing a copy of the email to the police.
Anyone with information related to such cases can call the police hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submit a report online at www.police.gov.sg/i-witness.
At the Ministry of Digital Development and Information's Committee of Supply debate in March, Workers' Party MP He Ting Ru raised the issue of AI chatbot Grok generating non-consensual intimate images, as well as a previous incident where Singapore students allegedly generated deepfake nude photos of their schoolmates.
Minister of State for Digital Development and Information Rahayu Mahzam said in her reply that chatbots that are embedded in social media services present "unique risks" as they are easily accessible to users, including children.
On the inappropriate use of X's Grok chatbot, she said the Infocomm Media Development Authority is engaging X on the issue and will continue to monitor and work with X to enhance online safety for Singapore users.
"We will also continue to study whether safeguards for AI chatbots are needed to better protect users from the harms caused by their misuse," she added.
In November 2024, five Cabinet ministers were among more than 100 recipients across 31 government agencies who received emails demanding payment over doctored images.
Those images were supposedly screenshots from videos where victims’ faces are superimposed onto those of individuals in compromising situations. The e-mails all have the same contents and images, with the only difference being the face of the victim.
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