A spurned lover pretended to be an international hacker to con his ex-partner into paying £25,000 to recover an explicit video they had filmed.
Falak Khan hatched the elaborate plot and made threats to expose his former boyfriend in a bizarre bid to persuade him to continue their relationship.
Khan, 26, spent three months trying to force the 24-year-old student not to dump him by threatening to expose his secret sex video.
At one stage, he posed as ‘Caleb Gomez’ to interact with the man on SnapChat and Instagram and threatened to have his friend booted out of university in disgrace.
‘Power and influence’ threat
Fiscal depute Callum Gordon told Dundee Sheriff Court Khan’s first move was to tell his unhappy partner he would use his “power and influence” to have a third party kicked out of university.
“The complainer thought this threat had merit as the accused had told him that he was from a powerful and influential family.”
The student decided to remain with Khan for a further period.
He tried to break up again and Khan threatened to send an email to the university to blacken the name of his lover’s friend.
Mr Gordon said: “At some point prior to these incidents, the accused has had an intimate video of the complainer.
“The accused informed the complainer he had been told there were images around but he knew a hacker who could get the images back.
“He said that hacker would require a payment, which was initially £25,000 and was then reduced £15,000.
“There was no hacker – it was just him.”
‘The threat had some teeth’
When the victim blocked Khan, he simply set up blank profile accounts on social media sites and posed as the hacker as he continued to make threats to expose the student.
“He pretended to be the hacker and asked for money,” Mr Gordon said.
Sheriff George Way said Khan’s actions were “a variety of nasty, unpleasant threats to try and keep him in a relationship.”
He said: “He knew the complainer had taken part in a video.
“The threat had some teeth.
“There was a real and present threat because at least one video of that nature was kicking about.”
Sentence deferred
Khan, of Dock Street, Dundee, admitted engaging in a course of abusive behaviour in 2022 in an attempt to manipulate the victim into remaining in a relationship with him.
He admitted the harassment culminated when he turned up at the man’s flat and repeatedly banged on the door while refusing to leave when asked to do so.
Khan admitted telling his ex-boyfriend that he would sell the video online and would “airdrop” it so all of his neighbours in the block could see it.
Sheriff Way deferred sentence for the preparation of reports and Khan’s bail was continued.
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