A former MP has spoken out about his shock after being targeted in a coordinated scam with flirtatious messages and an explicit image. The ex-politician, who is gay, received a WhatsApp message from someone identified as “Charlie” claiming to know him from his time working in Parliament. “The last part of that message was ‘Westminster misses you…’ and that was basically something that friends usually do say anyway to make me feel better,” he told the BBC. After further flirtatious messages, “Charlie” sent an explicit image before being blocked by the MP. It is believed that up to 12 men at Westminster have been targeted through a similar campaign.
The former MP only became aware that he had potentially been the subject of a honeytrap after reading a story on the news website Politico. Politico published a report stating that a number of men, including a UK minister, had been targeted through spear-phishing attempts with almost identical messages and inappropriate material. A Parliamentary spokesperson has declared that Parliament takes security seriously and works closely with the government in response to such incidents.
The victim’s message reportedly began by claiming to be reaching out after a long time and discussing their fond memories of their time spent together in Westminster. This was followed by a message declaring, “I’ve just become single so I’m hanging out with the Westminster gays.” The former MP, who was then in a relationship, explained that he received further flirtatious messages which were followed by an explicit image. The sender was then blocked.
The incident has caused the former MP worry and concern as he acknowledges that the intent behind such behaviour is probably intended to do harm. He wishes to raise awareness of this situation so that others may come forward after being targeted and Parliament has encouraged those affected to contact the Parliamentary Security Department
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