Pakistan’s National Cyber Emergency Response Team (National CERT) has issued an advisory warning to protect social media users from the growing number of honey trap scams disguised as freelancing opportunities. According to reports, scammers are utilising messaging apps such as WhatsApp to extort large sums of money from their victims.

 

Reports suggest that these “honey trap” scams are growing rapidly across Punjab. As per the National CERT, fraudsters invite unsuspecting individuals into groups on messaging apps that seemingly provide employment opportunities. People usually believe these groups are legitimate as the scam artists reportedly pose as recruiters of official freelancing platforms.

 

Moreover, multiple scam artists often partake in group discussions to lend the group an air of legitimacy. However, individuals are then reportedly exposed to explicit content to elicit a response that can allow the scammers to blackmail their victims. 

 

Reports indicate the fraudsters then reach out to all of the individuals who react to such content, attempting to persuade them to share it on other platforms. This results in the victims incriminating themselves, which allows the scammers to begin their extortion process. 

 

The scammers then pose as law enforcement officers, asking for sums as high as Rs1.5 million in exchange for not taking legal action against the victim. Details from reports reveal that the majority of the victims are young, as scammers target job seekers, knowing they are likely to stay in groups that could land them employment.

 

However, this demographic often lacks sufficient disposable income, resulting in victims relying on family for support. This causes immense financial strain on both the victim and their household.

 

According to the National CERT advisory, user behaviour on social media and technical vulnerabilities contribute to the success of honey trap scams. A lack of digital safety awareness, coupled with the availability of personal information in group chats, has been outlined as a key contributor to the success of the scams.

 

The primary contributor, however, is the ability scammers possess to add potential victims to their group chats without their consent. 

 

The National CERT has suggested that social media users change their privacy settings to ensure they remain protected. Moreover, the cyber body also advised users not to engage with job offers on social media and to exit any group chat wherein individuals are sharing obscene content.