Four Men Charged in Online Honey Trap Extortion Ring Targeting Israeli Men

Four young men have been indicted in connection with a large extortion network that allegedly targeted men in central Israel through social media “honey trap” encounters and blackmail. According to the indictment, the suspects, identified as Zohar Davir, Eitan Hassel, Itamar Hanuna, and Lior Aken, lured victims into sexually explicit chats, arranged face-to-face meetings, and then filmed and threatened them for money.

The group allegedly demanded thousands of shekels in cash from each victim in exchange for silence, and in some cases extracted tens of thousands of shekels. Police say the total amount extorted reached about half a million shekels. One victim, referred to as A., said he feared for his life, explaining, “I understood that either I pay or he is waiting under my house to kill me.” He said the suspects told him the woman he spoke with was a minor, threatened to publish the intimate footage and chats, and later released a video of them chasing him after he refused further payments.

The threats reportedly escalated to explicit death threats. One victim was told, “I will send this video. I have the number of your whole family and your friends too. I will meet you with the Creator and I am not playing games.” Another was warned that the clip would be uploaded to TikTok, and that if he did not pay, the gang would throw a grenade at his home.

The covert investigation began in the Yalon district crime-fighting unit of the Tel Aviv police region after one victim found the courage to file a complaint. Investigators then tracked the suspects and identified additional complainants, collecting photos and messages that police say show the brutality of the scheme. The suspects are charged with extortion by threats and extortion through force. Their lawyers said two of the men have no criminal record and deny any connection to the complainants.