A high-ranking British MP fell victim to sexting fraud. His colleagues are called to go to the police
Pan PylasApril 5, 2024
British lawmakers who may have been the target of a sexting scam were urged to go to the police on Friday after a senior Conservative admitted he gave out the personal phone numbers of some colleagues to an unknown person who had compromising material about him.
William Wragg, chairman of parliament’s Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, told the Times of London newspaper that he had handed over the phone numbers to a man he met on a gay dating app after sending intimate photos of himself.
Wragg, 36, told the newspaper that the man was carrying compromising items and that he was “scared” and manipulated into giving out his colleagues’ numbers to the unknown person he met on Grindr.
“I gave them some numbers, not all of them,” he said. I started talking to a guy on an app and we exchanged photos. We were supposed to meet for drinks, but that didn’t happen. Then he started asking for numbers of people. I was worried because he had stuff with me. He gave me a WhatsApp number, which doesn’t work now. I’ve hurt people by being weak. I was scared. I am shocked.
Finance Minister Gareth Davies called on those affected to go to the police.
Will Wragg has rightly apologized for the action he took, but I think it’s clear to anyone who hears about the situation he found himself in that people react in different ways, he told Sky News.
The honeytrap sexting scam is described as spearphishing, a form of cyber
–
attack that targets specific groups. These scammers pose as trusted senders to steal personal or sensitive information.
Wragg’s revelation came after days of speculation, fueled by an article published in Politico, that a number of current and former lawmakers had been contacted by an unknown number on WhatsApp, detailing past meetings with politicians in attempts to obtain personal or sensitive information . According to the report, some of the targets were sent nude photos, with at least two allegedly responding by sending images of themselves.
I would say to anyone watching this that if you ever feel like you’re in a compromised position, if you ever feel like you’re being blackmailed, you should go to the police immediately because it’s an incredibly serious matter ,” Davies added.
Leicestershire police in central England
has
confirmed it is investigating a report of malicious communications after a number of unsolicited messages were sent to a local lawmaker last month.
Pylas writes for the Associated Press.
Fernando Dowling is an author and political journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. He has a deep understanding of the political landscape and a passion for analyzing the latest political trends and news.