Hyderabad: A government employee in Hyderabad became a victim of a honey trap and lost Rs. 5 lahks after a woman he befriended on Facebook stripped on WhatsApp video calls. Later, the victim approached the Hyderabad Cyber Crime police and reported the incident, stating that he was cheated after a sleazy chat and video call.
As per the police complaint lodged by the victim, the woman sent a Facebook friend request to him a few months ago, and they started chatting. After conversations on Facebook, she asked for his WhatsApp number, which he shared.
Screen recording application used to record WhatsApp video call
After obtaining the WhatsApp number, she started making video calls and appearing in the nude, asking him to strip as well. It is alleged that the woman recorded the video call using a screen recording application to extort the money by threatening to make it public.
Based on the complaint, police registered a case and started investigation into the matter.
The incident highlights the potential risks of communicating with strangers on social media platforms. It is important to exercise caution, especially when engaging in WhatsApp video calls with unknown persons, as it can be easily recorded and used for nefarious purposes.
Older adults becoming easy targets of scamsters
Though, scamsters target individuals from all age groups, older adults can be vulnerable to various forms of fraud and exploitation, including falling victim to a honey trap. They are proving to be soft targets as they easily trust others.
Usually, scammers target older adults who are wealthy or have access to financial resources.
To prevent falling victim to a honey trap, it’s important for them to be cautious when interacting with strangers online or in person and if anything fishy is sensed, it is important to approach cops as soon as possible.
