Westminster honeytrap victims named in email after Met Police data blunder
Force apologises after victims’ email addresses reportedly viewable to eachother in message
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The Metropolitan Police has apologised for sending an email that named alleged victims of the Westminster honeytrap scandal to each other.
The force said it had referred itself to the Information Commissioner’s Office after an email relating to the ongoing investigation was “sent in error” on Friday.
Reports have said alleged victims’ email addresses were viewable to each other in the message, instead of being hidden.
The Metropolitan Police said officers would “personally apologise” to those affected.
In a statement, a Met spokesperson said: “An email relating to an ongoing investigation was sent in error today.
“We recognise the impact on those involved and apologise sincerely for any distress.
“A referral to the Information Commissioner’s Office has been made and we await advice on next steps.
“Officers will be reaching out to those impacted to personally apologise and provide reassurance.”
The Met is investigating flirtatious messages being sent by someone calling themselves “Charlie” or “Abi” to as many as 20 people including MPs, staffers and political journalists.
Earlier this year, at least 12 men in political circles received the unsolicited WhatsApp messages, Scotland Yard previously said. In some instances, explicit images were exchanged.
Former Conservative MP William Wragg resigned the party whip after he admitted giving politicians’ phone numbers to a suspected scammer.
An ICO spokesperson said: “People have the right to expect that organisations will handle their personal information securely and responsibly.
“If an individual has concerns about how their data has been handled, they should raise it with the organisation, then report them to us if they are not satisfied with the response.
“The Metropolitan Police have made us aware of an incident and we will assess the information provided”.