A second British lawmaker acknowledged receiving explicit messages from his cellphone during what the police are looking into as a malignant phishing attempt against lawmakers, their employees, and journalists.
Conservative lawmaker Luke Evans claimed he was the victim of” computer flashing and malicious communications” a fortnight ago when an unidentified sender received” an explicit picture of a naked lady.”
Evans declared in a digital message on Friday that he had instantly called the police and the parliament.
William Wragg, a different Liberal MP, revealed on Thursday that he had given a contact he had had on a gay dating app his contacts ‘ phone numbers to an unknown person.
Wragg said he’d exchanged information with the personal, who called himself Charlie, and had sent an obvious picture of himself. Wragg told The Times of London that he was “scared” and “manipulated” into giving his colleagues ‘ amounts to the mysterious person he had met on Grindr.
The second news site to report that a number allegedly reached a number of current and former lawmakers, staffers, and political journalists on WhatsApp was the first. The sender claimed to be” Charlie” or” Abi” and tried to strike up flirtatious conversations.
Blackmail, Sexting, and ‘ Spear Phishing ‘: Straight and Gay Members of Britain’s Parliament Targeted in Apparent Espionage Bidhttps: //t. co/aewYUDQEUg
— Breitbart London ( @BreitbartLondon ) April 6, 2024
The provocateur flirting scam has been referred to as” spear phishing,” a type of attack that targets particular groups. Scammers use fake senders to steal sensitive or private information to gain trust.
According to Politico, some of the people targeted were sent nude pictures, and at least two have reportedly responded by sending pictures of themselves.
Both London’s Metropolitan Police and the Leicestershire Police in northern England, where Evans has his constituency, say they are looking into reports of malignant communications.
American intelligence agencies have been alerted about attempts by hackers connected to foreign governments, particularly China, to hack at politicians.
Authorities have not revealed who they believe is responsible for the information.
The Metropolitan Police stated in a statement that” we are in contact with colleagues in Parliamentary Security, who are offering support and advice to anyone affected.” We are working closely with other forces and are in contact with colleagues in Parliamentary Security.”
