Honeytrap - malevolent forces at work?

I’ve just read this on the ITV News website.
www.itv.com/news/2024-04-04/police-investigating-after-explicit-images-sent-to-mps-in-sexting-scam
It does involve Labour as well according to this account, a Labour official was contacted by ‘Charlie’ (the male Charlie, apparently some were also contacted by a female Charlie) - the plot thickens.

Seems more and more likely it’s just a prankster or a group of pranksters phishing to see who responds and reciprocates with compromising messages and pictures - little different to the explicit spam that can sometimes find its way into anybody’s email inbox if one isn’t careful about cookies.

WhatsApp and the way Meta shares data has always put people at risk of this rubbish and highlights once again, as has been revealed by the Covid enquiry, the perils of using that app for business communication.

Again, what we don’t know is whether the people being approached are the same people whose numbers were disclosed by Wragg.

What a pusillanimous bunch of wallies our current MPs are. Ready to panic at every tiny threat.

Why can none of them respond as the 1st Duke of Wellington did when a high class prostitute he frequented wrote a book revealing the sexual secrets of all her clients, old and new, sending them the relevant pages and offering to leave them out if they paid her suitably. The Dukes responsed 'Publish and be damned'

Nothing any of these men are doing is particularly illegal, just something they are ashamed of - sharing dick pictures, using prostitutes, male or female, or whatever

Supposing one of them were to stand up and 'Yes, I frequent prostitutes, so what? and just got on with his life.

People can only shamed or humiliateted, if they agree to it. If someone doesn't cooperate by actting ashamed or humiliated there is little anyone can doto make them so.

Didn't Oscar Wilde sent private letters to a number of Tory MP's with the words "the game's up". Half a dozen of them quickly packed their bags and left on the boat train to France.

flappergirl

Didn't Oscar Wilde sent private letters to a number of Tory MP's with the words "the game's up". Half a dozen of them quickly packed their bags and left on the boat train to France.

Love this!

Men often arent ashamed for using prostitutes, that just indicates a deeper unpleasantness. It's a red flag like 'flashing' found in many who progress to violence against women.

The Times is reporting at least 7 people including a Labour MP, were sent these Wots app messages plus a Journalist, all saying a similar message.
I still doubt if this is a teenager in their bedroom, if you send to a Journalist you really want to put the cat amongst the Pigeons.

Galaxy Men use prostitutes for all manner of reasons - and I am in no way condoning their actions. And, yes, a proportion are violent and unpleasant people, probably a larger proportion than among men who do not use them.

But because men who use violence against women often start on a small scale with flashing, it doesn't follow that men who flash inevitably become violent against women.

What I can never understand about these politicians involved in sex scandals is why they cannot control themselves and behave with dignity. Surely if your job puts you in a position of trust and the glare of publicity your first thought is to protect your reputation and position not to exchange nude pics/ romp with drugs/ harass staff. It cannot be that difficult surely??

Flashing is not consensual and the same applies to those who buy prostitutes, it's the purchase of consent, I would never vote for a party that condones it in any form. The rates of a variety of crimes are higher amongst those who buy women/men than those who dont. We should treat those 'lower level' behaviours with appropriate seriousness.

Indecent exposure is not consensual, often causes real de stress to victims and often is a gateway to more serious offending.
It’s known as ‘using’ prostitutes because that’s what it is. Sec work is dangerous

I should have made myself clearer. When I spoke of flashers in my last post I was not referring to men who hide in bushes and take every opportunity to flash all and sundry. That is in itself an act of violence. I was thinking more of those who take pictures of their dicks and send them to people who are willing to receive them or send them to websites that welcome them.

I remember hearing that the local brothel was always busier on a Thursday evening. The reason being that men drove their wives into town to go late night shopping, dropped them off saying they would have a drink somewhere, popped into the brothel for a quickie, and then picked up the wife.
Quite ordinary nice men think it is OK to pay for sex.

Presumably on a site like Grindr, users know what they are getting into, and sharing intimate pictures is the norm. To my mind that’s quite different to the story Luke Evans and others have portrayed of an unsolicited ‘view once’ picture coming up on WhatsApp.

They may think it’s ok to pay for sex but we don’t all have to agree with them

Iam64

They may think it’s ok to pay for sex but we don’t all have to agree with them

I don't think anyone asked you to.

Sorry to lower the tone (if it's possible), but just reading Twitter/X, where someone has pointed out that William Wragg has brought new meaning to the phrase Private Members Bill 😀

HousePlantQueen

Sorry to lower the tone (if it's possible), but just reading Twitter/X, where someone has pointed out that William Wragg has brought new meaning to the phrase Private Members Bill 😀

😂😂

As I understand it, Oscar Wilde was threatening to expose homosexuality, which of course until relatively recently was a prisonable offence.

Homosexuality became legal in England in 1967, Scotland in 1980 and NI 1982, so not really that recent!

Grandmabatty

Homosexuality became legal in England in 1967, Scotland in 1980 and NI 1982, so not really that recent!

Indeed- not that recently! Tim Stanley in todays DT put it in perspective when he asked whether it was mandatory for Tory MPs to be fools.
William Wragg, another victim of a honeytrap so transparent, it could have been sent from a Nigerian prince. Silly Willy received a flirty message and shared some saucy pics. He was then asked to pass on contact details for fellow MPs, which he did
The photo swap is understandable (men do the stupidest things for sex). The betrayal of colleagues, less so. Some have called his apology “courageous”, but Dame Andrea Jenkyns, who also received a soliciting message, labelled the affair “unforgivable”. I’m afraid I find it all very funny

I might change the last word to “pathetic”.

I don’t see Wragg as a victim. He’s a fool and a traitor to give up contact details of colleagues

I don't find it funny. I find it puerile, and there are a few teenagers close to suicide because they are threatened with exposure for doing the same thing, absolutely no joke intended.
This man is vice-chairman of the 1922 committee, a position of influence within the Tory party and close to Sunak.
One wonders...

Iam64 I agree. Wragg encapulates all that is mediocre and self-indulgent in modern politicians.

Having lectured his colleagues in 2022, on reporting any attempts of blackmail to the police, Wragg failed to follow his own instruction. By passing on at least 12 other people’s private phone numbers, he has compromised their privacy. He should be sacked!
A ‘fulsome’ apology is irrelevant and proof the Tories haven’t any idea of how to behave with a modicum of awareness of what PM’s promises of accountability, professionalism and integrity actually mean.