Iraq takes its share of negative development and faces “electronic blackmail”

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[size=52]Iraq takes its share of negative development and faces “electronic blackmail”[/size]

[size=45]With the rise in cybercrime rates in Iraq, most notably extortion, hardly a day goes by without the security authorities announcing the arrest of those involved in such crimes. The Iraqi Ministry of Interior announced the registration of 9,384 cases of cyber extortion, (7,362) victims of domestic violence, and (567) fugitives who were returned to their families during the year 2023.[/size]
[size=45]The phenomenon of electronic blackmail is spreading remarkably in Iraq, practiced by specialized gangs and individuals to achieve financial gains and other goals, most of which are carried out via social media sites. While the security authorities are striving to limit and contain the phenomenon, the weakness of electronic technologies limits the possibility of controlling it.[/size]
[size=45]Post Corona[/size]
[size=45]The ministry said in a statement that “the community police squads in Baghdad and the governorates, during the past months of May and June of this year, stopped (181) cases of electronic blackmail and (190) cases of domestic violence, while during the same period they were able to return 22 fugitives to their families.”[/size]
[size=45]The director of the community police in the Karkh side of Baghdad, Colonel Omar Afkar, said: “Electronic extortion has become a problem for many Iraqi families, as many families have begun to turn to the community police and specialized departments to solve the extortion problem they are exposed to,” explaining that “after the Corona virus pandemic, extortion operations have increased as a result of the phone’s connection to study.”[/size]
[size=45]Threatening and defamation[/size]
[size=45]For his part, the Iraqi National Security Service said in a statement today, Wednesday, that “after monitoring and following up on social media platforms and websites, and as a result of a complaint received by the service stating that a number of citizens, dignitaries, directors of administrative units and officials in Muthanna Governorate were subjected to blackmail and media defamation operations via social media sites and pages, the National Security Service detachments in the governorate, after activating the intelligence effort and obtaining judicial approvals, identified the identity of two accused and arrested them red-handed, and in their possession were (9) mobile devices, (5) laptops and multiple seals.”[/size]
[size=45]He added, "Misuse of the phone, lack of family follow-up, weak security of electronic accounts, fake pages, and so-called 'hacking' on social media sites have increased cases of electronic blackmail."[/size]
[size=45]He added, "The directorate in Karkh was able to resolve more than a hundred cases of extortion from the beginning of 2024 to the first of July," noting that "exposing cases of extortion is the task of the Intelligence Agency and the National Security Service."[/size]
[size=45]Last March, the Iraqi authorities announced the discovery of a network that uses social media to blackmail and bargain with the security establishment, officers and members.[/size]
[size=45]Yahya Rasool, the military spokesman for Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, said in a statement that “the investigations have identified members of a network within the institution that is working to use social media sites (pages with fake names) to blackmail the security institution and insult its symbols.”[/size]
[size=45]Rasool added that “an investigative committee headed by the Minister of Interior and including the head of the National Security Agency and the military inspector of the Ministry of Defense decided to ‘refer the officers involved in this illegal act to the command, continue the necessary legal procedures, and complete the investigations against them.’”[/size]
[size=45]The statement did not reveal the names of the officers involved or their ranks until the time of preparing this report.[/size]
[size=45]No explicit law[/size]
[size=45]Observers believe that imposing harsher penalties on perpetrators of these crimes is a deterrent to their expansion, especially cyber-extortion crimes, which are on the rise, in light of the widespread use of social media networks and the exploitation they entail in suspicious ways.[/size]
[size=45]They pointed out the necessity of enacting a special law to combat cybercrimes in Iraq, which, according to them, will contribute to curbing them, as the perpetrators of these crimes benefit from the absence of a special law to punish this widespread type of crime.[/size]
[size=45]Meanwhile, the Iraqi National Security Service launched a major awareness campaign under the title “We are behind you,” with the aim of protecting girls, especially secondary and middle school students, from extortion crimes after their recent rise within Iraqi society.[/size]
[size=45]The head of the Security and Defense Committee in the Iraqi Parliament, Karim Aliwi, said, “This security and awareness campaign came after a noticeable increase in cyber-extortion crimes, to the point that Iraq now records various extortion operations on a daily basis in different governorates. This is a dangerous indicator, and that is why the campaign came to confront it, through awareness, warning, and giving the necessary instructions to deal with these crimes, which are considered new to Iraqi society.”[/size]
[size=45]Al-Aliwi explained that “in the Iraqi Council of Representatives, we are working on amending some laws and enacting new laws that focus on issues of electronic blackmail, in order to tighten penalties against anyone who practices these illegal and immoral acts. Penalties must be tightened so that there is a deterrent process by force of law.”[/size]
[size=45]While the spokesman for the Iraqi Ministry of Interior, Khaled Al-Mahna, said in previous statements, “There is no explicit law dealing with cybercrimes, specifically extortion, in Iraq.”[/size]
[size=45]He added, "Despite this, the police are dealing with this issue in accordance with the provisions of Penal Code No. 111 of 1969." He pointed out that "there are defendants who were convicted under the provisions of the threat and according to the seriousness of the act and the danger of the harm, and they were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 7 to 14 years."[/size]
[size=45]He continued, "The police agencies deal with the issue according to their jurisdiction. Cybercrimes are the responsibility of the Federal Intelligence Agency, and the Baghdad Crime Control Directorate and the Community Police are working on the cyber-extortion file."[/size]
[size=45]cross border crime[/size]
[size=45]Earlier, the Asayish Security Service of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq announced the overthrow of a dangerous gang wanted by Interpol on charges of practicing electronic blackmail, led by a woman, after it had caused more than 250 victims.[/size]
[size=45]The Asayish stated in a statement that “after collecting accurate information and determining the locations of the accused by the technical teams of the Sulaymaniyah Asayish Directorate, it was possible to arrest a main member of an electronic crimes gang,” explaining that “this gang is wanted by the security services in the Kurdistan Region and the International Police (Interpol).”[/size]
[size=45]The statement added that "based on complaints from a number of victims of this gang, which was operating as a single team outside the country, this gang has become a source of threat and danger to the lives of more than 250 people."[/size]
[size=45]The statement explained that "the accused is currently detained based on Article 2 of the Misuse of Communications Equipment Law," stressing that investigations into this case are ongoing.[/size]
[size=45]Last April, the National Security Service announced the overthrow of an electronic blackmail network run by an ISIS member from outside Iraq.[/size]
[size=45]The agency stated in a statement that "according to intelligence information indicating that a person was blackmailing citizens in Nineveh Governorate, judicial approvals were obtained to set up an ambush to catch him red-handed."[/size]
[size=45]He explained that, “When the aforementioned accused was arrested, it became clear that he was working as a driver who delivered money to Kirkuk Governorate, and through his guidance and coordination with the apparatus’ detachments in Kirkuk, the person responsible for receiving the money was arrested, a 52-year-old woman.”[/size]
[size=45]The community police explained that electronic blackmail is electronic hacking due to the ignorance of many Iraqis of the necessary security requirements and protection of their phones and electronic devices.[/size]
[size=45]Almost daily, the Ministry of Interior announces the arrest of people who engage in electronic blackmail, as well as the rescue of blackmail victims from paying money, but nevertheless, blackmail operations are still widespread in Iraq.[/size]
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