Facebook honey traps often feature fake profile pictures of extremely attractive people, for example “Alessandra Ambriosio”, considered one of the most beautiful women on earth. If your serving in the military and suddenly get befriend by a beautiful woman who seems to good to be true – it probably is. Pictured here in Ralph Lauren ad 2001.
Taliban insurgents are posing themselves as “attractive women” on Facebook to befriend coalition soldiers and gather sensitive intelligence information about military operations and personnel, according to report in the Herald Sun – Australia’s most influential newspaper.
“Australian soldiers are given pre-deployment briefings about enemies creating fake profiles to spy on troops. Personnel are also being warned that geo-tagging – a function of many websites that secretly logs the location from where a post is made or a photo is uploaded – is a significant danger. Family and friends of soldiers are inadvertently jeopardizing missions by sharing confidential information online, the report warns” (see article: Taliban using Facebook to lure Aussie soldierhttp://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/taliban-using-facebook-to-lure-aussie-soldier/story-fndo317g-1226468094586 ).
The article is seen as a wake-up call for military commanders in the field.
Most of the troop’s survey in the report did not recognize that people using fake profiles, perhaps “masquerading as school friends” or others could solicit information and movements, that could endanger military security.
Fewer still even considered the possibilities of “data mining” and how patterns of behavior can be identified over time. Many were also unaware that “geo tagging” could be used to track them online or find out where they live, or worse where their family and loved ones reside.
The review recommended education for family and friends on the dangers of sharing details like names, ranks, locations, pictures, telephone numbers and addresses online.
Soldiers are also being snared more in digital honey traps on facebook and other social networking sites than anything else.
The Facebook honey traps often have fake profiles pictures featuring “extremely attractive people”, like fashion models or celebrities. In some case, the profile pictures are clipped from fashion circulars and advertisements in Eli or Vogue magazine where the emphasis is on “sex appeal.”
The dangers of honey traps are very real online.
You can let your imagination tell you how dangerous it can be, especially for military members, who are feeling lonely and away from home for long periods of time. As a rule, soldiers should be suspicious of any hot chicks who befriend them on Facebook (see article: Social networking sites and the military https://groundreport.com/social-networking-sites-and-the-military-2/
See also: Digital espionage – are you at risk? https://groundreport.com/digital-espionage-are-you-at-risk-2/