MP honeytrapper used pictures of students in their late teens as bait in order ... trends now
Two students in their late teens had their pictures used by a honeytrapper as bait to lure MPs into exchanging explicit photographs, it is claimed.
The pair, who are now in the late 20s, had decade-old images of themselves used by a suspected scammer who targeted more than 20 members of parliament, researchers and journalists.
The people behind the plot contacted potential victims on messing app WhatsApp or the gay dating app Grindr, posing as a man called 'Charlie' or a woman called 'Abi' depending on who they were talking to.
The scammers would claim to have met the targets, most of whom were men in their 20s or 30s, on a previous occasion and sent explicit pictures in a bid to obtain similarly sexual photos in return.
It is claimed that at least two Conservative MPs are believed to have sent explicit images of themselves to the people behind the plot.
Photos of two students in their late teens are believed to have been used by honeytrap scammers in a bid to get MPs to send explicit photos of themselves. Pictured: One of the photos used by the perpetrators
The students, who are now in the late 20s and have no link to politics, are not believed to have been involved in the plot. Pictured: One of the photos used by the honeytrappers
It was claimed yesterday that the suspected scammers used profile pictures for 'Charlie' and 'Abi' that were actually taken from the Facebook pages of two 28-year-old's who have nothing to do with politics.
The pair, a financial analyst in London and a lawyer in Birmingham, attended the same sixth form in their teens, with the male contacting police over the use of his photos, The Times reported.
He deleted his professional and social media profiles after being contacted by the publication for comment, while the woman did not respond to a request for comment.
There is no suggestion either of the pair are involved in the scam and the explicit photos sent to parliamentarians are not of them.
It is not known yet who the people behind the plot are, and police are investigating the suspected 'spear fishing' attack with concerns it is a deliberate attempt to compromise Westminster.
The plotters gained access to the phone numbers of people working in Westminster through William Wragg, the Member of Parliament for Hazel Grove in Greater Manchester.
Mr Wragg admitted to providing the numbers after becoming fearful the perpetrators 'had compromising things on me' after interacting with them Grindr and exchanging pictures.
He has since given up the Tory whip and resigned from his roles on the Public Accounts and 1922 committees.
The former vice-chairman of the 1922 Committee spoke to The Times on Friday, admitting he shared colleagues private contact details after sharing intimate pictures of himself online.
File photo. William Wragg stepped down from key roles after admitting to talking to a man on an app, suspected to be involved in a honeytrap plot
Scotland Yard on Monday said it has launched an inquiry into the scandal (Stock Image)
Those colleagues, including MPs, staffers and a journalist, were then allegedly sent flirtatious messages from people claiming to be 'Charlie' or 'Abi'.
Since then, POLITICO has claimed to have verified that 'at least 20 people in UK politics' have been sent unsolicited WhatsApp messages from numbers linked to both the Westminster 'honeytrap' plot and a second alleged targeting aimed at Lib Dem conferencegoers last year.
Multiple Liberal Democrats admitted they had received strange messages while at their party's conference in Bournemouth, The Express reported.
Attendees told the newspaper an account posing as a man his late 20s had asked at least six people for 'political intelligence' about MPs.
And a Scottish Labour official said he also received an unsolicited WhatsApp message from 'Charlie' while at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool last October.
In light of Mr Wragg's admission, Luke Evans, MP for Bosworth, and Andrea Jenkyns, MP for Morley and Outwood, have also since said publicly that they have received suspicious messages.
Leicestershire Police have confirmed they are investigating after receiving a complaint of 'malicious communications' against a parliamentarian.
Mr Wragg stepped down from the role of vice-chair of the 1922 Committee on Monday evening, and told the Speaker he would resign as chair of another
