31ST AUG 2024
She thought she had found love in the charming stranger online. As their conversations deepened, he asked for a small favor - money for a plane ticket to finally meet. She sent it, only to realize too late that he never existed. Her heart shattered, along with her bank account. This is just one example of how a honey trap unfolds.
Honey trapping is a deceptive practice where cybercriminals exploit romantic or intimate relationships to gain sensitive information for personal, political, or financial gain.
In the real world, this typically involves unsolicited advances from attractive strangers on dating sites. Falling for this scam can lead to devastating consequences, such as losing significant amounts of money or having your computer, even your reputation, severely compromised. It shares a lot in common with catphishing scams.
Want to know what cybercriminals do to honey trap would-be victims?
Scammers meticulously scour dating websites, sifting through countless profiles to identify potential victims. However, these scam emails are not linked to any legitimate dating site.
Social media too has become a breeding ground for honey trapping, particularly through social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Facebook admitted that up to 270 million accounts on its platform are illegitimate, many of which are used for honey trapping. And this was back in 2017!
Most honey trap scams work in a similar way:
Scammers create fake dating profiles using photos of other people who appear trustworthy.
They then send messages to their targets, professing love or a desire to establish a genuine relationship.
Once the romantic bond is strong, the scammer often expresses a desire to visit the victim, usually leading to a request for money to cover travel expenses.
Alternatively, these cybercriminals employ blackmail or hacking to extract information.
They often share malicious links or applications disguised as harmless, which can infect the target’s device.
Some common types of honey trap scams being employed include:
The Classy Scam This scam targets men perceived as wealthy. The scammer poses as a woman in financial distress, seeking assistance from her future partner. The scammer gradually extracts money from the victim, asking for funds to cover expenses like a plane ticket or gladly accepting any “gifts” the victim offers.
Once the scammer has drained enough money, they vanish without a trace.
The Nigerian Inheritance Scam In this scam, a woman from a distant region in Africa contacts the victim, sharing a tragic story. The victim becomes enticed by the prospect of a large inheritance that the woman claims to have. She convinces the victim to pay for legal services to help her escape her country, promising a share of the inheritance in return.
After the victim sends thousands of dollars, the ‘woman’ disappears, leaving the victim with nothing.
While honey traps have ensnared numerous individuals worldwide, the stakes are exponentially higher when military personnel are targeted. Recently, military and defense personnel have increasingly become targets of these cyber espionage tactics.
One defense official was arrested after being honey trapped by Pakistan-based ISI operatives on social media, leading to the sharing of critical military information.
The ease with which crucial intelligence can be obtained through honey trapping poses a significant threat to national security.
Love and genuine connections are something most people yearn for, but romance scams can leave you heartbroken and financially ruined. Recognizing the red flags of honey trap scams is your best defense.
Look out for these key elements to prevent honey trapping attempts:
The Profile Picture: Honey traps often use photos of attractive female models. Always do a reverse image search to verify if the image is genuine or sourced from the internet, such as celebrity faces or stock images.
The Insanely Inflated (or Not) Follower/Friend Count: A large following in a short time can be a red flag. However, this must be assessed alongside other network characteristics. Even a small following indicates something is amiss.
Unlikely Connections: Real profiles typically connect with people within their domain or interests. In contrast, a honey trap profile may have connections with random or unrelated individuals, which is a significant indicator of suspicion.
The Helpless Damsel: If you encounter someone online who is attractive but claims to be in distress and asks for your help or resources, it’s likely a honey trap. Scammers exploit generosity and eagerness while using physical allure to manipulate victims.
The Affluent Persona: They may claim to be wealthy, but can they prove it? Always verify the identity and claims of the person you’re communicating with online.
Suspicious Behavior: Be wary of any unusual conduct. Regardless of the situation, make it a point to learn as much as you can about the person on the other side of the screen.
To protect yourself from these scams, take the following precautions:
Avoid opening emails that land in your spam folder, especially those with strange subject lines like invitations to special meetings or offers of large sums of money.
Never click on links in suspicious emails, and if you do open the email, do not respond to the sender.
Stay away from dating websites you’ve never heard of, especially those that appear in spam emails. Visiting these sites can put your computer at risk of being compromised.
The heart wants what it wants. Nevertheless, when dealing with strangers online (and even offline), let’s not make it that easy to fall into a honey trap. One of the best ways to learn how to train yourself to be wary of honey trap in cybersecurity is to undergo security awareness training.
Why not try out a gamified cybersecurity awareness training experience right now?
