logo
Man accused of using AI images of women for sextortion

Man accused of using AI images of women for sextortion

The Advertiser04-06-2025

A man accused of threatening to post AI-manipulated images online in the sextortion of three women has appeared in court for the first time.
Benjamin Michael Jomaa is accused of sending sexual material to the women without their consent on Facebook messenger and threatening to distribute AI-manipulated images of them online.
The 31-year-old allegedly demanded to be sent more intimate pictures and encouraged one of the women to participate in a sexual act without her consent.
Sexual extortion or 'sextortion' is a form of blackmail where a person threatens to share a nude or sexual image or video unless their victim gives in to their demands.
Police searched Jomaa's home on May 28 at Ettalong Beach on the NSW Central Coast and seized several electronic devices.
He was arrested and charged with 13 offences.
The three women, all aged in their 20s, were allegedly abused by Jomaa online between October 2024 and April 2025.
Jomaa was granted bail after the arrest.
He appeared briefly in Gosford Local Court for the first time on Wednesday, represented by his lawyer Jessica Tohi.
Supported by two people, Jomaa walked out of the court building hidden underneath a coat.
He has been excused from attending court when the matter returns in two weeks and will remain on bail.
A man accused of threatening to post AI-manipulated images online in the sextortion of three women has appeared in court for the first time.
Benjamin Michael Jomaa is accused of sending sexual material to the women without their consent on Facebook messenger and threatening to distribute AI-manipulated images of them online.
The 31-year-old allegedly demanded to be sent more intimate pictures and encouraged one of the women to participate in a sexual act without her consent.
Sexual extortion or 'sextortion' is a form of blackmail where a person threatens to share a nude or sexual image or video unless their victim gives in to their demands.
Police searched Jomaa's home on May 28 at Ettalong Beach on the NSW Central Coast and seized several electronic devices.
He was arrested and charged with 13 offences.
The three women, all aged in their 20s, were allegedly abused by Jomaa online between October 2024 and April 2025.
Jomaa was granted bail after the arrest.
He appeared briefly in Gosford Local Court for the first time on Wednesday, represented by his lawyer Jessica Tohi.
Supported by two people, Jomaa walked out of the court building hidden underneath a coat.
He has been excused from attending court when the matter returns in two weeks and will remain on bail.
A man accused of threatening to post AI-manipulated images online in the sextortion of three women has appeared in court for the first time.
Benjamin Michael Jomaa is accused of sending sexual material to the women without their consent on Facebook messenger and threatening to distribute AI-manipulated images of them online.
The 31-year-old allegedly demanded to be sent more intimate pictures and encouraged one of the women to participate in a sexual act without her consent.
Sexual extortion or 'sextortion' is a form of blackmail where a person threatens to share a nude or sexual image or video unless their victim gives in to their demands.
Police searched Jomaa's home on May 28 at Ettalong Beach on the NSW Central Coast and seized several electronic devices.
He was arrested and charged with 13 offences.
The three women, all aged in their 20s, were allegedly abused by Jomaa online between October 2024 and April 2025.
Jomaa was granted bail after the arrest.
He appeared briefly in Gosford Local Court for the first time on Wednesday, represented by his lawyer Jessica Tohi.
Supported by two people, Jomaa walked out of the court building hidden underneath a coat.
He has been excused from attending court when the matter returns in two weeks and will remain on bail.
A man accused of threatening to post AI-manipulated images online in the sextortion of three women has appeared in court for the first time.
Benjamin Michael Jomaa is accused of sending sexual material to the women without their consent on Facebook messenger and threatening to distribute AI-manipulated images of them online.
The 31-year-old allegedly demanded to be sent more intimate pictures and encouraged one of the women to participate in a sexual act without her consent.
Sexual extortion or 'sextortion' is a form of blackmail where a person threatens to share a nude or sexual image or video unless their victim gives in to their demands.
Police searched Jomaa's home on May 28 at Ettalong Beach on the NSW Central Coast and seized several electronic devices.
He was arrested and charged with 13 offences.
The three women, all aged in their 20s, were allegedly abused by Jomaa online between October 2024 and April 2025.
Jomaa was granted bail after the arrest.
He appeared briefly in Gosford Local Court for the first time on Wednesday, represented by his lawyer Jessica Tohi.
Supported by two people, Jomaa walked out of the court building hidden underneath a coat.
He has been excused from attending court when the matter returns in two weeks and will remain on bail.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Double Bay man charged over attempted cocaine collection following AFP operation at multimillion-dollar home
Double Bay man charged over attempted cocaine collection following AFP operation at multimillion-dollar home

Sky News AU

time20 hours ago

  • Sky News AU

Double Bay man charged over attempted cocaine collection following AFP operation at multimillion-dollar home

A man has been charged over an alleged 30kg cocaine deal after he was arrested in an AFP-led raid in Double Bay. The Australian Federal Police had been investigating since March intelligence concerning an alleged transnational drug trafficking syndicate targeting Australia. The man was the alleged intended recipient of a 30kg cocaine importation into New South Wales from a criminal syndicate offshore. He allegedly attended a 'dead drop' in Alexandria on Friday, about 5km from the Sydney CBD, where he was expecting the importation, but the AFP executed a "controlled delivery" and placed 30kg of an inert substance in the package. "The AFP will allege the man removed a sports bag containing the 30kg of the substitute material from a parked van in Alexandria and then returned to his home in Double Bay," the AFP said in a statement. Later on Friday, police conducted a raid on a multimillion-dollar home in Double Bay and a nearby unit, where he was arrested after a brief pursuit down the road. The items seized from the two properties allegedly include multiple encrypted mobile devices, a sports bag which contains the substitute material, and an amount of anabolic steroids. AFP Detective Superintendent Morgen Blunden said anyone connected to drug trafficking activity in any way was committing a crime. 'The AFP has successfully disrupted a significant drug trafficking syndicate's operations thanks to this investigation,' Det Supt Blunden said. '30kg of cocaine has an estimated street value of $9.7 million and would have equated to about 150,000 street level deals.'. 'This result should serve as a serious warning to potential drug traffickers in Australia – don't get comfortable - because the AFP is constantly working to target and disrupt your criminal operations and bring you to justice.' The 40-year-old man was set to appear before Parramatta Local Court at some point on Saturday, charged with one count of attempting to possess a commercial quantity of unlawfully imported border controlled drugs, contrary to section 307.5 of the Criminal Code (Cth). He faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

Billions of logins for sites such as Google and Facebook leaked, compiled online
Billions of logins for sites such as Google and Facebook leaked, compiled online

ABC News

timea day ago

  • ABC News

Billions of logins for sites such as Google and Facebook leaked, compiled online

Billions of login credentials have been leaked and compiled into datasets online, giving criminals "unprecedented access" to accounts, according to new research from a cybersecurity publication. The research from Cybernews revealed that a total of 16 billion credentials were compromised, including user passwords for Google, Facebook and Apple. The report said the 30 exposed datasets each contained a vast amount of login information and the leaked information did not span from a single source, such as one breach targeting a company. Instead, it appears that the data was stolen through multiple events over time and then compiled and briefly exposed publicly, which is when Cybernews reports that its researchers discovered it. Various infostealers were most likely the culprit, Cybernews noted. Infostealers are a form of malicious software that breach a victim's device or systems to take sensitive information. Many questions remain about these leaked credentials, including whose hands the login credentials are in now. Sixteen billion is roughly double the amount of people on Earth today, signalling that impacted consumers may have had credentials for more than one account leaked. Cybernews also noted that there were most certainly duplicates in the data and so "it's impossible to tell how many people or accounts were actually exposed". As more information comes to light, experts continue to stress the importance of maintaining key "cyber hygiene." Some things you can do to prevent your data from being exposed include changing your password — and avoiding using the same or similar login credentials on multiple sites. Password managers or pass keys exist if you find it too hard to memorise all your different passwords. Multi-factor authentication can also serve as a second layer of verification through your phone, email or a USB authenticator key. AP

AI threatens entry-level jobs as university grads struggle to get hired
AI threatens entry-level jobs as university grads struggle to get hired

ABC News

timea day ago

  • ABC News

AI threatens entry-level jobs as university grads struggle to get hired

Australian workers are facing a major upheaval as artificial intelligence (AI) becomes a cheaper alternative to employing humans. While the full impact of AI is yet to be reflected in job ads or official employment statistics, both employers and employees warn the technology is already reshaping the nation's labour market. It took recent data science graduate Tien Hung Nguyen 30 applications and an internship to land his first full-time job. "I feel privileged to have secured this position. I'm going to give everything I've got," he says. Most of his friends are still looking for work — and he says artificial intelligence is a big reason why. "Since AI appeared, for example, a team might have needed three or four juniors and a senior. Now, it's one junior and AI," Mr Nguyen explains. In countries where AI is more advanced, such as the United States, lay-offs are speeding up. Amazon is the latest big employer to warn of looming job losses. There are also reports Microsoft is shaping up to clean out more staff whose tasks can be completed by AI. There are also worrying signs for young workers in the US, as the unemployment rate for recent college graduates nears 6 per cent. In Australia, the unemployment rate is holding steady at 4.1 per cent. However, the jobless rate for young people — which is typically higher than the overall rate — has risen slightly to 9.2 per cent. Economist Leonora Risse says youth unemployment is a key indicator. "Young people tend to be the group that experience the greatest volatility in the labour market," she warns. Mr Nguyen now works at an AI start-up, where much of the low-level admin work has already been handed over to machines. His employer, Julian Fayed, says the shift is accelerating. "Our technology is advancing, and our AI implementations are advancing at a rate that means that our headcount isn't really growing anymore," he says. "A lot of the lower-level tasks our team didn't enjoy doing, AI can now do 24 hours a day, seven days a week. "No sick days. That's the slightly dark joke." Beyond small tech start-ups, some of the country's biggest employers are also preparing for a leaner future. Telstra CEO Vicky Brady has been up-front at several public events about how advances in AI will result in job cuts. "We know that work is going to look very different in 2030 — and so will we," Ms Brady told a recent investor briefing. CBA boss Matt Comyn made similar comments when he appeared at the Australian Financial Review's AI summit in Sydney this month. "It's hard to make predictions," Mr Comyn said. "But I think in some areas, it's reasonable to say the workforce will be smaller." Dario Amodei — CEO of US-based AI company Anthropic — has warned that up to 50 per cent of entry-level white-collar jobs could disappear within five years. Aaron Matrljan from recruitment agency Aura agrees junior positions will be among the first to go. "Things that we would get juniors to be trained on — that would usually be a learning exercise for them — can now be done so much more cheaply and effectively by AI in a matter of seconds," he explains. Mr Matrljan says his professional services clients are all talking about AI. Mr Matrljan expects to see job cuts because of AI becoming more common within the next two years, and believes slower economic conditions will only speed up the take-up of technology. "The next intake of graduates is going to be really interesting, and firms are going to have to work out where they're gaining those efficiencies, where they're gaining the cost savings, and how many grads do we need, how many trainees do we need to do the tasks that AI can do now so much quicker." Businesses that don't adopt AI risk being left behind, particularly as the technology promises major productivity gains. The optimistic view of AI is that the technology won't replace human workers but instead allow them to take on higher-level tasks. "Productivity is about shifting our time away from the lowest value activities and the lowest value tasks that can be done by automation or AI or computers, and reallocating our time towards the most valuable uses, the most purposeful and meaningful uses," Dr Risse argues. Dr Risse said AI can be of huge benefit to workers if the transition is managed equitably. "If you have higher labour productivity, you have a case for a higher wage," she explains. Some jobs will inevitably be replaced by AI, particularly routine roles that are easier to automate because they follow predictable, repetitive patterns. The reality is, as Dr Risse says, some workers will need to find new jobs in new industries. "The care and community sector is growing, particularly as a result of the aging nation. We need humans. We need people in those sectors," she argues. "But for some people in areas like banking or finance, that can feel like a big leap." As AI advances, the question is no longer if it will dramatically change the workforce, but how quickly, and whether Australia's job market can adapt in time. Mr Fayed believes there'll always be white-collar jobs for the right candidate. However, landing a position is likely to become more competitive. His advice to students is blunt. "For anyone thinking about what to study — you absolutely should be considering whether your future role is at risk from AI," Mr Fayed said. "I do think this is going to be very, very disruptive." There's also a risk for companies that cut too deep — they could lose the pipeline of workers who would eventually move into mid-level and senior roles. "Firms are going to have to … work out where they're gaining those efficiencies, where they're gaining the cost savings … how many grads do we need, how many trainees do we need to do the tasks that AI can do now so much quicker," Mr Matrljan says. "What that's going lead to is the next two to four years it's going be really interesting to see, because there's not as many juniors coming through the ranks … have we lost a lot of knowledge at that level?"

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store