Since 2012, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the United States has warned of online dating scams, where people solicit photos under the guise of romantic interest, then use the images to extort money from victims.
T&T recorded its first report of such a scam last week when former PNM senator Hafeez Ali reported to the Fraud Squad that he was being blackmailed by a woman who had nude images of him.
Ali’s report was investigated by the Fraud Squad but police have not yet indicated whether charges would or could be laid against the offender.
Public Information Officer of the T&T Police Service (TTPS) Michael Pierre, in an interview yesterday, said officers were considering several options when looking at offences in Ali’s case.
However, as it is the first such report in T&T, there is no precedent to indicate what charges would be laid.
He said in cases where pornographic material was involved, the police had various offences to look at.
“What you can look at, in the event of possession and publication of pornographic material on children, there is an offence under the Children’s Act and the offender can be penalised for that.
“Regarding the adults, we can look at other offences, including under the Trafficking in Persons Act,” ASP Pierre said.
Pierre said he was aware of such activities despite a lack of reporting in T&T.
“It starts with a simple message, an introduction and a request to get to know you, and people new to social media often view it as an opportunity to create new friendships.”
While this may be the first report emanating from an online dating scam, Pierre said he was aware that locally a similar scam had been perpetrated on citizens.
“What I was told is that there are some instances you will have so-called modelling agencies which solicit photos from potential models nude or semi-nude to boost their career and use it against them subsequently.
“They ask for a photo of yourself, breast exposed, and then they blackmail you with it. Those cases have been investigated by the Police Service,” he said.
Both the FBI and law enforcement agencies in the UK have warned their citizens about these scams in the past. According to the FBI website, the Crime Complaint Center (IC3) reinforced the fact that people looking for love online need to remain vigilant about whom they choose to communicate with and how they do so.
The website noted, “In a recently reported dating extortion scam, victims usually met someone on an online dating site and then were asked to move the conversation to a particular social networking site, where the talk often turned intimate. Victims were later sent a link to a website where those conversations were posted, along with photos, their phone numbers, and claims that they were ‘cheaters.’ In order to have that information removed, victims were told they could make a $99 payment—but there is no indication that the other side of the bargain was upheld.”
Use international law to prosecute offenders—attorney
Attorney Lyndon Leu, in an interview with the Sunday Guardian, said police had the option of using international law to prosecute offenders, in the case that the act involved multiple jurisdictions.
“They would have to determine a source from where the material came from, in terms of an IP address; that could be done by the cyber crime unit of the Police Service.” He said once offenders were identified, they could be prosecuted under the Misuse of Computers Act.
“The offence is being committed here, so you could have multiple jurisdictions, but the victim is here.
“International law would apply. In any event, one of the countries should be able to get some justice.
“It’s either one country could prosecute the offender or both.”