The Metropolitan Police is assessing reports of a parliamentary honeytrap sexting scam, as a Conservative MP said he was blackmailed into sharing his colleagues’ phone numbers for fear of intimate images of him being leaked.
Conservative MP William Wragg said on Thursday he was “manipulated” into giving the personal phone numbers of colleagues to a man he met on a gay dating app.
The MP for Hazel Grove in Greater Manchester told the Times he was “scared” because the man had compromising information on him.
On Friday, Scotland Yard confirmed it was in contact with Leicestershire Police and Parliamentary Security “following reporting of unsolicited messages to members of Parliament”, amid concerns other MPs and their staff could be victims of blackmail.
I gave them some numbers, not all of them. I told him to stop. He’s manipulated me and now I’ve hurt other people
“We will assess any reports made to us accordingly,” the Met added.
Mr Wragg said he was sorry for his “weakness”, which has caused hurt for other people.
He said: “They had compromising things on me. They wouldn’t leave me alone. They would ask for people.
“I gave them some numbers, not all of them. I told him to stop. He’s manipulated me and now I’ve hurt other people.
“I got chatting to a guy on an app and we exchanged pictures. We were meant to meet up for drinks, but then didn’t.
“Then he started asking for numbers of people. I was worried because he had stuff on me. He gave me a WhatsApp number, which doesn’t work now.
“I’ve hurt people by being weak. I was scared. I’m mortified.
“I’m so sorry that my weakness has caused other people hurt.”
Earlier this week it was disclosed that a number of politicians had been contacted by a person who would allege that they had previously met.
Politico reported that these political figures had received the unsolicited messages from two numbers calling themselves “Abi” or “Charlie”.
The messages would include details of the MP’s career and campaigns they had worked on.
The honeytrap sexting scam has been described as “spear phishing”, a type of cyber attack that targets specific groups.
Spear phishing involves scammers pretending to be trusted senders in order to steal personal or sensitive information.
Leicestershire Police has confirmed it is investigating a report of malicious communications after a number of unsolicited messages were sent to a Leicestershire MP last month.
A spokesperson for the force said: “They were reported to police on Tuesday March 19. Inquiries are currently ongoing.”
Andrew Bridgen, the Independent MP for North West Leicestershire, told the PA news agency he was not responsible for the report.
“I am baffled by anyone who thinks that it is a good idea to send pictures of your genitalia to people you barely know,” he added.
Mr Wragg received support from senior Government figures following his claim, with Chancellor Jeremy Hunt describing his apology as “courageous and fulsome”.
Mr Hunt told broadcasters the emerging scandal was “a great cause for concern”, adding: “But the lesson here for all MPs is that they need to be very careful about cybersecurity, and indeed it is the lesson for members of the public as well, because this is something that we are all having to face in our daily lives.”
Labour former minister Ben Bradshaw was also sympathetic to Mr Wragg’s situation, also telling the BBC: “I think it is the responsibility of all of us to be careful and cautious and act with common sense and responsibility when we are getting these unsolicited messages.”
