Honey trap scams: Warning signs and how to stay safe online
Online friendships can start innocently enough, but when an unknown person intentionally builds emotional or romantic bonds and later threatens or blackmails the victim, it becomes a honey-trap cyber scam. In one case, a 24-year-old man from Faridabad began video chatting with a woman he met through a friend on WhatsApp. Gradually, their conversations became sexually charged, and he began revealing himself on camera.
The woman then demanded money, eventually threatening to expose him if he didn't comply. In another incident from Hyderabad, a 70-year-old retired employee was tricked into sending Rs 38 lakh after being befriended on Facebook. Cybercrime experts warn that honey traps are not limited to a specific age group, profession, or social-media platform.
The process often begins with a fake profile, followed by building trust, obtaining personal information, and eventually threatening the victim with blackmail. Warning signs to watch for include a rapid intensification of intimacy, inability to verify the person's identity, requests for private content, pressure to move conversations to private platforms, financial demands, and threats.
Experts advise against trusting strangers met online, avoiding the sharing of sensitive information, and being cautious when arranging in-person meetings.
Written by urgent.news from The Indian Express's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
