Man Mugged after Facebook Trap
A man has been attacked and robbed after being lured to a Manchester park as part of a so-called Facebook honeytrap.
The 22-year-old was set-upon by a gang of six girls on Grangethorpe Road, close to Platt Fields Park in Fallowfield on Wednesday afternoon.
He had arranged to meet one of the girls there after chatting to her on Facebook.
Police say as soon as he parked his car the gang pounced, opening the doors, punching him in the face before stealing his phone and car keys.
Sgt Shoheb Chowdhury, of West Didsbury Police, is now warning people of the dangers of making arrangements or dates with strangers over social media.
He said: “The victim had arranged to meet this girl near Platt Fields Park as he had been talking to her online. He didn’t know her and they had never met before"
“We would always say be careful when communicating with strangers online, it could be a trap.”
He went on to advise that those with smart phones sownload tracking apps so that handsets can be traced if stolen.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.