Pippa Middleton was
at the centre of a major security alert last night after a man offered
to sell 3,000 photographs of her and her royal relatives for £50,000.
The
pictures, which are believed to be genuine, are said to include images
of the socialite, 33, at a wedding dress fitting and naked ones of her
fiancé, James Matthews, according to The Sun.
The
images are also said to include private images of her sister, the
Duchess of Cambridge and her and Prince William’s children, George and
Charlotte.
A
box was superimposed over the gown in one of the alleged dress-fitting
images, which is said to show Pippa smiling as her mother, Carole, takes
pictures on her camera phone in the background.
Another
picture appeared to show Carole inside Pippa's church wedding venue -
while yet more are said to show Pippa and friends partying
Scotland Yard has confirmed that specialist officers are investigating the case.
The
anonymous seller - calling themselves 'mas', and also 'Crafty Cockney' -
contacted media organisations claiming they had obtained 3,000 private
photos from Miss Middleton’s Apple iCloud account.
The
cyber thief has demanded 'a minimum of £50,000' within 48 hours as of
4pm, September 23, saying: 'This isnt [sic] an auction it will be a
simple process of the highest bid.'
The haul apparently includes photos of parties, wedding dresses, royal children ‘& pretty much everything in between’.
The seller
added: ‘Due to current climate on privacy laws in the UK I’m intending a
quick US sale but would at least give you a heads-up’.
Last
night a source close to Miss Middleton confirmed that the pictures
appeared to be genuine. A spokesman said: ‘Miss Middleton’s lawyers have
been informed and, in due course, the police will too.’
The seller offered to converse with journalists through the encrypted messenger service Whatsapp.
He or she
added: ‘This is obviously a vast source of info and pictures that I
neither want nor intend to keep in my possession very long.’
The
hacker also said they wanted to sell quickly to a British or US
magazine - but would offer first refusal to UK buyers as this would
ensure a more 'tasteful' publication.
Plan B would be to return the data to Pippa once payment had been made.
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