A British MP received explicit images and flirtatious messages from an anonymous WhatsApp account in an apparent “honey trap” after being forced to share his number. What’s unclear is who is behind these messages and what their motives are.
On Thursday, Conservative MP William Wragg admitted giving a fellow MP’s personal phone number to someone on the dating app Grindr. He said he sent them a photo of himself and was worried about what they would do with it if he didn’t respond.
Senior politicians, including Foreign Affairs Chair Alicia Carnes and former Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan Smith, have suggested that a foreign country may be responsible.
However, government officials told the Guardian there was no evidence that the messages were the work of a foreign power and the pattern of behavior was inconsistent with what is known about Russian or Chinese operations. This incident is also not being treated as a cybersecurity incident as there is no evidence that the technology was compromised or passwords were passed.
Alan Woodward, a cybersecurity professor at the University of Surrey, said it was difficult to determine who was behind such incidents, but states had an interest in obtaining sensitive material through ongoing business-style relationships. “I think Chinese people already have the phones of members of Congress,” he said. We don’t need anyone on Grindr because there are so many of us. ”
He suggested that nation-states would likely approach parliamentarians through LinkedIn. However, if you have a professional relationship with someone and are exchanging ideas and information, you can extract valuable intellectual property. ”
Rather than accessing Parliament’s internal systems, the person (or individuals) sending the message relied on a combination of old-fashioned social engineering, Westminster party culture, and a growing willingness to send naked photos to strangers was doing.
Mr Wragg’s admission that he had given his colleague’s phone number came after Politico reported that at least a dozen men working in Westminster politics, including sitting ministers and other MPs, had been similarly targeted.
Those who received the messages said they showed a deep understanding of where people might run into each other while working in Parliament House and Westminster. This included references to specific bars at political party conferences and roles in long-defunct leadership campaigns. In many cases, the target is told that they met an unknown number at an event some time ago, drawing on memories that have become hazy after a long night of drinking and meeting new people.
The same WhatsApp number was also used to target multiple victims over several months, another sign that this may not be a high-tech operation. This has led to speculation that he was a corrupt political insider who enjoyed gathering material to harm his colleagues.
Catfishing (using false pretenses to trick people into thinking they are talking to a potential lover) is not illegal in the UK. Nor can you convince someone to willingly share a naked photo under false pretenses. However, individuals who later publish these photos could be found guilty of violating “revenge porn” laws, and police are investigating possible racketeering charges.
Mr Urag was the only politician to appear in public, but some of those targeted as part of the apparent honeytrap had their phone numbers included in the MP’s phone contacts. He told the Guardian he couldn’t believe it. This suggests that there was a broader campaign than just one MP’s reliance on publishing a telephone directory.
Woodward said the case has a lot in common with old-fashioned extortion. He said the only solution for victims was to admit and admit their mistakes early on, adding: “Kompromat is less effective these days because people are not so easily shamed. Besides, is it really that embarrassing when you can happily send these images to strangers on Grindr?”
