Ministry assigns female officers to combat cyber extortion

BAGHDAD, October 9 — Iraq’s Ministry of Interior announced on Monday that it has assigned female officers to handle cases related to cyber extortion and successfully halted 1,520 cases over the past nine months.

Brigadier General Nibras Mohammed, Director of Community Police, stated in an interview Al-Sabah newspaper, as reported by 964, “Community police teams have halted 1,520 cases of extortion, with 38 cases stopped during the last two weeks of the previous month.” He further highlighted the use of advanced digital technology in investigations to expedite the identification of offenders.

Mohammed revealed that the Ministry has implemented several measures to combat cyber extortion, including involving female officers in investigations when the victim is a woman. Additionally, they have established multiple hotlines for reporting such cases, including 533 and 497 for community police and 131 for national security.

The initiatives also include awareness campaigns conducted by experts in the field, targeting schools and universities, making use of religious and national events, gatherings, malls, and parks to distribute informative posters outlining the necessary steps to take if someone falls victim to extortion. Videos demonstrating how to secure social media accounts are also being disseminated.