- Waleed Saeed received a 16 year jail term for online blackmail.
- Police suspect up to 90 victims were targeted by the predator.
- The offender used fake profiles to entrap conservative Muslim men.
A 31-year-old man from Ilford was sentenced at Snaresbrook crown court for 17 offences. He carried out a six-year campaign of extortion targeting conservative Muslim males starting in 2018. The predator used 100 aliases on apps like Grindr and Snapchat to lure victims.
The offender operated by pretending to be a woman or transgender woman. He coerced men into sending intimate photos then demanded hundreds of pounds. Blackmail threats involved exposing victims to their families or workplaces which left one man feeling suicidal due to humiliation.
Waleed Saeed used fake profiles for extortion
The arrest happened in November 2024 after a man was raped in a London park. The victim had swapped images with a fake profile before being coerced to meet. Saeed wore a balaclava during the assault to hide his face from the victim.
Police found two mobile phones at the residence. These devices contained scores of pictures of unidentified men and evidence of children. Detectives believe the total number of victims could range between 70 and 90 people across the UK.
Read also: Football : Hull could face a points deduction while competing in the Premier LeagueOne victim paid over £3,600 in total. He told the court «I felt trapped and lost», and noted that «The shame I felt by letting this happen to me is something I will have to live with for the rest of my life».
DC Peter Collington stated the pattern of offending is deeply disturbing and shows deliberate manipulation of young men. He noted the offender believed these survivors would be less likely to report to police. Authorities are now reviewing 24 similar unsolved cases.
