Muscat: Omani citizens and residents continue to fall victim to cyber blackmail despite multiple awareness campaigns.

According to a report published by Oman’s Information Technology Authority (ITA), there is a sharp increase in the number of cyber blackmailing cases registered this year. In the first half of 2019 alone, a total of 607 cyber blackmailing cases were reported. 70 per cent of those cases involved a male being blackmailed, while only 30 per cent of the cases were from women.

“In the first half of the year, the authority monitored 607 cases of electronic extortion, and 53 per cent of the people exposed were aged between 15 and 45 years,” the ITA said in its report.

Last year, the ITA recorded 1,414 cases of cyber blackmailing and 1,479 cases in 2017.  The authority has called for a united effort among different sectors of society to address this scourge. The ITA also highlighted the importance of promoting digital awareness and culture on the positive usage of telecommunications.