A hashtag #protectyounghijabis has been circulating recently and young Muslim women have been urged to be on high alert and mindful when navigating online spaces as a sexual predator has been using a major Australian modest fashion brand @hijab_house with 525,000 followers as a way to get underrage muslim women who wear the hijab, to film and take pictures of themselves in sexual compromising positions, uncovered, in exchange for a promise of a modelling career in modest fashion. The fashion brand believe over 900 of its followers have been approached, and 50 have fallen victim to it in some way.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BpHDp0PAt1M/

The modest brand has said, “The conversations often go for weeks and they’re done in a way where trust is built up. It’s all tailored to each specific girl, her life, and her online presence.They pretend to be Hijab House, and they have a verification message from us that’s been falsely created to show that he’s a consultant for us.”

Reportedly the reason young women are falling prey to the online sexual predator, is due to the fact that they believe they are being contacted by a Muslim woman. Which explains why young girls as young as 13  show their body for a modelling job. “As a 13 or 14-year-old they don’t know that’s not right. He says to the young girl, ‘tell me to hold up fingers and I’ll show you I’m real’, and he’ll send them photos of other women holding up the same number of fingers.”

“The conversations often goes on for weeks and they’re done in a way where trust is built up. It’s all tailored to each specific girl, her life, and her online presence. They pretend to be Hijab House, and they have a verification message from us that’s been falsely created to show that he’s a consultant for us.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BpoCGrrHRLT/

Staff have issued public statements revealing what has happened, asking the local authorities to get involved, as well as using Instagram to report the user.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bpg9i1qA0x7/

However, the brand has seen little support or action from local authorities making it difficult to action anything, as they reported the incident to Crime Stoppers on Tuesday, however was told to contact thir local police station Granville Police. The representative was met with extreme disinterest, and the severity of the situation was downplayed majorly. He was also later told to report it on Instagram. However Instagram did not respond with much urgency either.

“I am shocked and bewildered at the lack of action by Instagram,” said Houcher the brands representative. As a billion dollar company they can afford to have the resources to have a task force to deal with this sort of thing”.

Not long after the representative contacted the Office of the eSafety Commissioner and they didn’t help. They echoed what the representative had already done, to report it to the local police, and Instagram. This was only taken seriously enough as a case, afte the representative showed the Australian Federal Police screen shots of the scam.

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“When I sent them, I immediately got a call from an officer and they said they’d be investigating it.He wants the broader community to be aware of how this predator operates, to help shut him down. If this scammer is getting through to some girls then he’s going to keep doing it, but if he’s constantly getting blocked, then he won’t be able to find fresh victims.”

The Australian Federal Police, have confirmed that they are aware ofthe ongoing case, which has been referred to them as the hijab grooming case.

They said to 10 Daily, “We have received reports of an individual posing as an employee of the company and asking the young people – many aged between 13 and 17 –  to provide sexualised images of themselves. These photos are then used to blackmail the victims into sending further images. The AFP is currently assessing the matter.”

Amaliah has contacted a representative from Hijab House to comment. If you have been affected by the contents of this article turn your rage into action, and report the incident to Instagram, we can make a change in numbers follow the simple instructions below.