Honey Trapping

Honey trapping is an investigative practice utilizing romantic and/or sexual relationships for an interpersonal, political or monetary purpose to the detriment of one party involved in this romantic or sexual affair. Investigators are also often employed by wives, husbands, and other partners usually when an illicit romantic affair is suspected of the “target”, or subject of the investigation.[1] Occasionally the term may be used for the practice of creating an affair for the purpose of taking incriminating photos for use in blackmail. A honey trap is primarily used to collect evidence on the subject of the honey trap.

Each assignment varies depending on what the agent and client decided on during their prior consultant. A common assignment consists of the agent initiating contact with the subject through face-to-face interaction. The agent will attempt to take the communication further into other outlets including: e-mail, text messaging, phone calls, etc. The step after this can be considered the most crucial moment of the assignment. Whether or not the subject agrees to further communication will determine whether the assignment will go deeper or come to an end. The agent will propose a second meeting to the subject. Hotels are often used as a meeting place, not for sexual intercourse, but to determine whether the subject intends for the relationship to escalate. Once the investigation comes to an end, the agent will turn over any record of communication they had with the subject. Other documents that are recorded include: photographs, videos, venue appointments, etc.