Prosecutors indicted an Ashkelon resident on Thursday on suspicion of spying for Iran over the course of several months, as Tehran has stepped up its efforts to recruit Israelis online in exchange for large sums of money.

The announcement of the arrest came as Israeli authorities try to crack down on the phenomenon, which has grown to the point that the mayor of a major city appealed directly to his citizens this week to dissuade them from engaging in espionage on behalf of Iran.

In the most recent case, the suspect, 37-year-old Amir Malka, earned $4,225 in cryptocurrency as compensation for his alleged espionage activities, police said. He was arrested last month, in an investigation carried out by Jerusalem District detectives and the Shin Bet.

Malka was charged in the Beersheba District Court with maintaining contact with a foreign agent.

Prosecutors said he first came into contact with Iranian agents in June, when he received a Telegram message that read: “Cooperation with Iran can bring peace and security to the region… For more details, contact the Telegram bot.” He clicked the link, then was contacted shortly after by a foreign agent, according to the indictment.

Malka was allegedly enlisted by his handler to place a cigarette package containing a note in a trash can, as well as to buy a bottle of Arak and drop it off in a specific location. He was asked to send........

© The Times of Israel