Latest news with #honeytrap
CNA
6 days ago
- Politics
- CNA
China says foiled foreign spying plots including 'honeytrap'
BEIJING: China said on Thursday (Jul 10) it had cracked three spying plots, including one in which a public servant was lured by the "seductive beauty" of a foreign agent, urging government workers to remain vigilant against overseas threats. Beijing has stepped up espionage warnings in recent years as relations with the United States and other Western nations have worsened. Its Ministry of State Security (MSS) said Thursday that foreign spooks "have been increasingly active in infiltrating and stealing secrets from China" and were targeting public officials. "Individual officials have caused the damaging effects of leaking secrets due to a lack of belief, a weakened sense of discipline and a loosened awareness of rules ... harming national security and interests," the MSS said. It described a case in which a provincial government employee surnamed Li fell into a "meticulously designed honeytrap" while travelling overseas for work. "Unable to resist the seductive beauty of the foreign intelligence agent," Li was then blackmailed with "intimate photos" and forced to hand over official documents once back in China. He was sentenced to five years in prison for espionage, according to the statement. Another case involved a municipal cadre called Hou, who secretly photographed confidential documents and sold them to foreign spy agencies to recover lost savings from a gambling addiction. Hou was later held "criminally responsible", the ministry said, without specifying his punishment. The ministry also detailed a third case in which a high-flying young official lost his job after sharing confidential information with a relative who photographed and sent it to overseas spy agencies. "Leaks are often hidden in the small details of our work lives," the ministry said. "If our ideals and beliefs are not strong ... they may eventually plummet into the criminal abyss designed by foreign spy agencies." China's spy agency did not name the countries alleged to be behind the plots. Asked which countries were involved by AFP at a regular briefing on Thursday, foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said she was "not familiar with this issue". Beijing and Washington have long traded accusations of espionage, punishable by death in China. Last month, Beijing accused the US Central Intelligence Agency of an "absurd" attempt to recruit Chinese citizens via "amateurish" videos posted on social media. In April, Chinese security officials said they had implicated three US "secret agents" in cyberattacks during February's Asian Winter Games in the northeastern city of Harbin.
Japan Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Japan Times
China says it foiled foreign spying plots, including 'honeytrap'
China said Thursday it had cracked three spying plots, including one in which a public servant was lured by the "seductive beauty" of a foreign agent, urging government workers to remain vigilant against overseas threats. Beijing has stepped up espionage warnings in recent years as relations with the United States and other Western nations have worsened. Its state security ministry said Thursday that foreign spooks "have been increasingly active in infiltrating and stealing secrets from China" and were targeting public officials. It did not name the countries alleged to be behind the plots. "Individual officials have caused the damaging effects of leaking secrets due to a lack of belief, a weakened sense of discipline and a loosened awareness of rules ... harming national security and interests," the ministry said. It described a case in which a provincial government employee surnamed Li fell into a "meticulously designed honeytrap" while traveling overseas for work. "Unable to resist the seductive beauty of the foreign intelligence agent," Li was then blackmailed with "intimate photos" and forced to hand over official documents once back in China. He was sentenced to five years in prison for espionage, according to the statement. Another case involved a municipal cadre called Hou, who secretly photographed confidential documents and sold them to foreign spy agencies to recover lost savings from a gambling addiction. Hou was later held "criminally responsible," the ministry said, without specifying his punishment. The ministry also detailed a third case in which a high-flying young official lost his job after sharing confidential information with a relative who photographed and sent it to overseas spy agencies. "Leaks are often hidden in the small details of our work lives," the ministry said. "If our ideals and beliefs are not strong ... they may eventually plummet into the criminal abyss designed by foreign spy agencies." Beijing and Washington have long traded accusations of espionage, punishable by death in China. Last month, Beijing accused the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency of an "absurd" attempt to recruit Chinese citizens via "amateurish" videos posted on social media. In April, Chinese security officials said they had implicated three U.S. "secret agents" in cyberattacks during February's Asian Winter Games in the northeastern city of Harbin. The state security ministry also said in March it had sentenced to death a former engineer for leaking state secrets to a foreign power.
The Sun
08-07-2025
- The Sun
Honeytrap gang who lured lovestruck colleague to flat where they battered him over £150 debt jailed
A GANG who lured and attacked their own friend in a honeytrap scheme have been jailed. The judge branded the four thugs as 'animals' after they battered their friend over £150 of debt. 3 Daniel Aston, 33, and his then-girlfriend Shannon Wolleter hatched the plot alongside 61-year-old Steven Baker and his son Matthew. The gang targeted their friend Anthony Cooper after saying they didn't approve of his girlfriend and because he owed them £150. They created an elaborate trap for Anthony, by using Wolleter as bait. She started texting Anthony, while pretending that she was interested in him romantically. The pair arranged to meet up on October 3, 2021, for a 'sexual encounter' at 8.12pm. When he arrived, he was dragged off the street and taken into a silver Mercedes. Baker shouted 'come here, you little c***' before beating Anthony, while Matthew Baker threatened to cut off the charity worker's legs. Matthew Baker sent videos of the crime to various people on social media, once they reached a friend's flat. Anthony was then dragged to a car park before being dropped near to his address. He was treated for his injuries, while the violent gang of four were arrested. Why You Should Blur Your Home on Google Maps – Safety Tips for Homeowners Presiding over Birmingham Crown Court, Judge Dean Kershaw branded the group as 'animals' and described their actions as 'cowardly, planned and vile'. Aston was slapped with a five-year and eight month sentence, while Wolleter was handed a two year and 10 month sentence. Both Bakers were given sentences of three years and nine months. David Bambrough, 41, was handed a six month suspended sentence after allowing the gang to use his flat during the assault. Anthony met the group through a homelessness charity and had considered each of them friends. However, the friendship broke down when he started dating a woman called Bethany love. The prosecution, Lachlan Stewart, said that this caused the sinister gang to start calling Anthony nasty names. Mr Stewart said: 'Steven Baker saw her like a daughter. There was also a suggestion Matthew Baker may have been in a relationship with her in the past. 'The group started going around calling Mr Cooper a paedo, a rapist and sex offender entirely without basis.' Anthony opened up about how the incident has left him unable to trust the people he cares about in his life. He said: 'What makes things worse is I thought all the people involved were my friends. 'It really made me not want to make more friends. 'When it was happening I thought I was going to die. 'I have never been so scared in all my life.' 3
Daily Mail
08-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Honeytrap gang who kidnapped and battered their friend over £150 debt in 'vile' attack are jailed
A gang of four ruthless thugs who lured and attacked a man in a twisted honeytrap plot have been slammed as 'animals' as they are jailed. Daniel Aston, 33, his then-girlfriend Shannon Wolleter, 30, Steven Baker, 61, and his son Matthew Baker, 29, targeted charity worker Anthony Cooper after he owed them £150, and didn't approve of his new girlfriend. Using Wolleter as bait, the gang lured Mr Cooper into their trap, dragging him off the street and launching a brutal attack that lasted more than four At Birmingham Crown Court today, Judge Dean Kershaw slammed the gang, calling their actions a 'cowardly, planned, and vile attack' as he sentenced them to immediate jail time. Aston, who has no fixed address, was handed a five-year and eight-month sentence after pleading guilty to kidnapping, robbery, and unlawful wounding. Wolleter, from Trowbridge, Wiltshire, got a lighter sentence of two years and 10 months after admitting to kidnap and unlawful wounding. Meanwhile, Steven Baker, of Balsall Heath, and Matthew Baker, of Tyseley, were both jailed for three years and nine months for confessing to the same two offences. A fifth man, David Bambrough, 41, of Anderton Park Road, Moseley, had let the group attack Mr Cooper in his previous flat in Small Heath and joined into a limited extent. He pleaded guilty to assault and was sentenced to six months suspended, including 35 days of rehabilitation activity and 100 hours of unpaid work. But Judge Kershaw had no sympathy for any of them, branding the whole gang 'animals' for their shocking cruelty against a vulnerable man. Mr Cooper knew the defendants through working for a homeless charity and considered them friends. But things went sour when he resumed a relationship with a woman named Bethany Love. Lachlan Stewart, prosecuting, said: 'Steven Baker saw her like a daughter. There was also a suggestion Matthew Baker may have been in a relationship with her in the past. 'The group started going around calling Mr Cooper a paedo, a rapist and sex offender entirely without basis.' Aston also found out about the relationship when Ms Love sent him a picture of her Facebook status, prompting him to threaten to hurt Mr Cooper claiming he owed him money. Wolleter, who was going out with Aston at the time, acted as the 'honeypot' or 'honeytrap'. She began texting Mr Cooper pretending she fancied him and arranged to meet him on October 3,2021 for 'some kind of sexual encounter', said the prosecutor. But when the victim arrived at 8.12pm Wolleter text Aston 'got him', prompting Steven Baker to turn up in his silver Mercedes. He punched Mr Cooper and said 'come here you little c***' before bundling him into his car, with Wolleter hopping in the passenger seat. Baker drove around the corner where his son Matthew Baker and Aston got in, and immediately started beating the vicitm. Baker junior threatened to chop off Mr Cooper's legs and cut out his tongue, while Aston pulled out a knife and put it to his throat. The group took the victim to Bambrough's flat in Small Heath where 'the attack intensifies', said Mr Stewart. Baker struck Mr Cooper to the head three times with a tyre iron and also whacked him with a piece of wood. But after 20 minutes Bambrough became concerned his neighbour would alert the police, so the original four kidnappers forced the victim back into the Mercedes and took him to a car park next to Four Dwellings Academy in Quinton. There, they continued to beat him to the ground, with Wolleter kicking Mr Cooper in his stomach and genitals five times. As the Bakers and Aston laid into his ribs the victim cried 'you're hurting me', to which Steven Baker told him 'good, you deserve it'. Matthew Baker revelled in the violence by sending pictures and videos of the attack to other people on social media. When one person asked what the victim had been hit with Baker replied: 'LOL a hammer.' Eventually, Mr Cooper was once again thrown into the Mercedes and dropped off near his home, but not before Aston took his phone and bank card. He managed to stumble back to his address but collapsed on his doorstep, where his friends found him. The victim was taken to hospital and treated for a number of injuries including a 15cm long cut to his head which exposed his skull. All five defendants were arrested within a matter of days. In a statement Mr Cooper said he had 'really struggled' since the attack, having had to move home and work for fear of running into his tormenters. He said: 'What makes things worse is I thought all the people involved were my friends. 'It really made me not want to make more friends. 'When it was happening I throught I was going to die. I have never been so scared in all my life.' Rory Field, defending Matthew Baker, told the court he had 'challenging mental health issues' adding he 'doesn't fully understand the consequences of his actions'. He said: 'Very unfortunately he reached his mid–20s when this occurred and hadn't committed any offence. 'He's not the sort of person who does commit offences but he is very easily led. 'He is the sort of person who could have gone through life without troubling this court at all. 'But he was picked up by one of the most significant influences in his life, his father, got in the car and things got worse thereafter.' Colin McCarraher, defending Steven Baker, said he was currently undergoing psychotherapy and he was now a 'very different man'. Graham Henson, representing Aston, conceded his client made the 'stupid' decision not to plead guilty sooner despite never denying what he did, adding he was now in a 'ridiculous' situation having spent around two–and–a–half years in custody on remand. He told the court Aston had taken a number of courses while in prison and had 'reflected' on his actions. The barrister said his client had a history of mental illness but had managed to go a long period without offending when he was in work. Bunty Batra, defending Wolleter, submitted the incident was 'wholly out of character' for her, adding she was an 'extremely vulnerable' individual. He told the court it was not her idea to text Mr Cooper but she did so at the 'behest' of Aston, with whom she was in an 'abusive' relationship at the time. The barrister added Wolleter did not have the 'strength of character or personality' to remove herself from the incident as it escalated. Omar Majid, mitigating for Bambrough, argued his role and involvement was 'significantly more limited' than the others. He said his client was vulnerable and had mental health issues as he told the court he had learning difficulties, autism and low intellectual functioning. The barrister added Bambrough was 'easily led and manipulated'.
Daily Mail
20-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Warning to Tube passengers as woman reveals fear mysterious female attacked her with 'Devil's Breath' drug on London's Elizabeth line
Commuters have been warned of terrifying 'Devil Breath' drug attacks in London. The warning came from a woman who claims that she was a victim of a mysterious woman whilst she travelled on the Elizabeth Line. Also known as scopolamine or burundanga, the drug is derived from the Borrachero tree and was once used by the CIA as a truth serum. It is now being weaponised in honey trap scams via dating apps like Tinder and Grindr. Victims are said to be rendered into a zombie-like state with as little as 10mg, making them easy to manipulate, hallucinate, and follow commands, sometimes with fatal consequences. Now a Londoner has come out, warning people that she was almost a victim of this attack whilst she travelled in the train. Speaking on a TikTok video, she said: 'Today I am on the train, this is the first train, so the train is empty, the previous one had just left a few seconds earlier so I was one of the first people who got on the train. 'So I sat down and had the whole carriage to myself. 'A few minutes later I noticed someone walking very slowly and I looked up and I am thinking "this woman is walking very slowly, what is going on" and when I looked up I realised that she was staring in my direction.' She goes on to describe that at first she thought this person was a tourist about to ask her for directions, but things start taking an unusual twist. She went on: 'She walks and stands in front of me, so at this point I'm like "how can I help you because this train is empty" and she is looking at me, and I am like "how can I help?"' She explains that this mysterious woman is holding a newspaper and is 'waving it around' in a 'really strange' manner. 'She makes her way very slowly, still maintaining eye contact, and she sits down next to me,' the woman explains. She then tells that as the train moves, all of a sudden she starts feeling dizzy and very high, and she describes 'the room getting very dark and it's spinning'. She started to worry that it may be low blood sugar and that she may be about to faint. She then remembered that she had previously watched a video about the drug which causes similar symptoms. She said: 'In the groggy state, I start thinking "Oh my Gosh, is this what I think it is?" 'I pick up my phone and I leave a very groggy voice note to my sister in Italian. The woman is still staring at me and I start [describing the woman's appearance].' To make things even creepier, she then claims the woman, while still looking at her, starts to walk away to another carriage. 'Then I remembered, in those videos [about the drug], they normally leave and somebody else will swoop in and basically lead you to cash machine and lead you to transfer your money to them.' She claims she stood up in the train and moved to the next carriage and spotted a man and a woman who were sat one seat apart from each other in an otherwise empty carriage. 'I thought, what if these are the people that are watching me, because where they are sat they could clearly see where I was sat earlier.' She said she felt 'dread' and thought 'you need to get out now'. She claims she waited for the doors to almost close to leave the carriage. 'I waited until I heard the doors bee,p and as soon as the doors beep I stood up and when I stood up the two South Asian people in front of me immediately looked at me and then looked at each other, and that was all I needed to see. 'I stumbled out of the train, and the doors closed behind me. When the fresh air hits me, the dizziness feeling subsides.' She finished the video by saying: 'I don't know what that was. I don't know if it was black magic, a spell, or hypnotherapy, whatever it is, it was scary, but it was very real. 'I am just here to warn you to be careful and be wary.' She added: 'I am thankful God that I left before they could do anything because I am planning a wedding so my account would have fed them for a few years, you know. So I am just thankful that did't happen to me. But please be wary, they are in London.'
