Hacking an account, blackmail using intimate images or online identity theft are criminal offences. Law No. 07-03, which supplemented the Criminal Code, punishes attacks on automated data processing systems.
The offences
- Fraudulent access to a computer system or account, and fraudulently remaining in it (Articles 607-3 and following of the Criminal Code).
- Altering or deleting data.
- Blackmail, punished by the Criminal Code, whether it concerns images, information or a threat of disclosure.
First steps
- Do not pay and do not give in to demands: paying feeds the blackmail.
- Keep all evidence: messages, account names, dated screenshots, links.
- Secure your accounts: change passwords, enable two-factor authentication.
- Report the accounts and content to the platforms.
Filing a complaint
The complaint can be filed with the police or the gendarmerie, which have specialised units, or sent to the public prosecutor. The faster it is filed, the easier it is to obtain from the platforms the data useful to the investigation.
The firm's view
Faced with blackmail, silence and payment are the worst responses: a complaint backed by evidence is the right one.
Maître Malak Elimani assists victims of cybercrime, discreetly, in their steps and before the court. This article provides general information and is not a substitute for legal advice.
Reference texts
Further reading
- Criminal law
- Police Custody in Morocco: Duration, Rights and Your Lawyer
- Filing a criminal complaint in Morocco: the steps and what happens next
- Alternative sentences: what Law 43-22 changes for defendants and victims
- Online defamation and invasion of privacy in Morocco
- Fraud or breach of trust: what is the difference?
The information on this website is general and does not replace legal advice. Every situation requires an analysis of its own facts and documents.