Extortion and sexual harassment crimes in Lebanon increased by 184 percent during the lockdown, the general directorate of the Internal Security Forces said in a statement.
“During the implementation of the general mobilization, complaints of extortion and sexual harassment increased compared to the pre-lockdown phase, reaching 122 complaints from February 21 to April 21, 2020,” the statement noted.
Only 43 complaints had been registered between December 20 and February 20, it added.
Accordingly, the ISF general directorate reminded the Lebanese citizens of some important precautionary measures, asking them to refrain from taking inappropriate photos of themselves, and to cautiously use the social media to avoid falling victim of extortion or be exploited by others.
It also asked citizens “not to respond to the blackmailers’ requests, and to immediately report such cases,” through the ISF dedicated websites and social media accounts.
