Social Media Scandal: Fake Nude Photos Spread By Cybercriminals Targeting Nagaland’s CM

Alamy

“Naga Munchetti: This is the most humiliating day of my life. Yesterday’s news shocked the whole of the UK.”

The headline alone was enough to pique my curiosity, but upon closer inspection, I immediately noticed a glaring error C they had misspelled my name. This oversight instantly cast doubt on the credibility of the journalism involved and questioned whether it was even real journalism at all.

I’m accustomed to encountering misleading articles about myself online, yet recent screenshots shared by friends and followers on social media have been particularly insidious compared to past instances. Paid-for advertisements have been appearing across platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook, some featuring crudely Photoshopped images of me in compromising situations C my face inexplicably merged onto someone else’s body.

I was simultaneously mortified and intrigued, wondering who would be willing to pay a premium for spreading such blatant nonsense. What were their motivations? Were they driven by malice or perhaps harbored some personal grudge?

I discussed this issue with my 5 Live production team, which sparked an investigation into the matter. It soon became apparent that my name and likeness were being exploited by scammers attempting to deceive people out of their money.

Clicking on these advertisements directed individuals to a fake news article bearing the BBC logo and imagery. This false image never appeared on the actual BBC News website, falsely claiming I had given a “scandalous interview” following my detention by the government after a controversial appearance on ITV’s This Morning. The alleged interview purportedly revealed details about a “lucrative loophole” for financial gain.

This fake article was designed to look authentic, complete with BBC branding and logos, and included links to a scam cyber trading website that has since been dismantled following my production teams report to the BBC legal department. However, another similar website is likely already in operation.

I am not the first high-profile individual targeted by scammers attempting to exploit others through misinformation based on one’s image. My colleague Martin Lewis, a fellow 5 Live presenter and Money Saving Expert, has previously spoken out about his face being used to front cryptocurrency scams. Similarly, wildlife TV presenter Chris Packham mentioned that he began noticing fake articles about himself appearing on social media two years ago.

Recently, when Packham opened an account with Bluesky (formerly Mastodon), within hours he saw false accounts re-posting these scam stories from other platforms. The posts on Bluesky were slightly more sophisticated in their approach; scammers created fake accounts, identified individuals within his professional network, and reached out to them requesting donations for a non-existent “conservation fund.” Packham emphasized the gravity of this situation by stating that it undermines not only his credibility but also that of the BBC:

“What they’re doing here is taking the authority, integrity, and credibility of the BBC,” he explained. “It’s extraordinarily offensive and worrying; I loathe the idea that vulnerable people could be potentially exploited through my image.”

Lisa Barber, a tech editor at Which?, shared her experience when one of their reporters signed up to a website linked from such false advertisements. The reporter was immediately bombarded with calls from someone encouraging them to invest money. Upon investigation by Which?, the registered addresses for these scam operations were found in Reykjavik, Iceland, and even included a car park there. At times, her team could hear other individuals making calls in the background, suggesting it was likely conducted through call centers.

Barber reported that their investigations revealed people losing several hundred thousand pounds to these scams:

“There’s a massive red flag in that they’re telling you to invest right away C no real investment firm would ever do that,” she emphasized. “It serves as a crucial reminder for individuals not to believe everything they read and be cautious about clicking on suspicious links.”

While the fake images and articles spread around online are mildly distressing, my primary motivation for bringing attention to this issue is to prevent anyone from handing over any money or personal information to these scammers. I was fortunate that the BBC legal department could use copyright law to take down one of the websites, but new ones will undoubtedly pop up soon.

Getting advertisements taken down from X has become more challenging since it changed ownership following its acquisition by Meta (formerly Facebook). The fake post on X falsely claims the government ordered me to be detained:

“People who impersonate others on Facebook and Instagram violate our policies,” said a representative of Meta. “We remove this content when we find it C like we are doing in this case. We continue to invest in technology aimed at preventing deepfake abuse, ministers have been told.”