Introducing... One-star review

Summary

Hoaxed – Introducing... One-Star Review

Podcast: Hoaxed (Tortoise Media)
Episode Date: July 30, 2026
Host: Basha Cummings

---

Episode Overview

This episode presents a powerful real-life story—a detailed case study of harassment, hacking, and reputational destruction—experienced by "Ali," a pro-Palestinian activist and restaurateur in London. The narrative, originally reported for the "Slow Newscast," explores how Ali’s activism and turbulent relationship intersected with escalating cyberattacks, leading to business sabotage, deep personal distress, and exposure to the darker edges of online harassment. The episode is framed by editor and journalist Basha Cummings, who also brings in her personal reflections as a Jewish reporter in an environment fraught with rising antisemitism. The storytelling blends Ali’s intimate voice, his mother’s heartbreak, and investigative detail, illustrating the vulnerabilities faced by activists and the limitations of police and justice structures in the digital age.

---

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Ali’s Context: Activism and Community

• Ali is a middle-aged man from a Middle Eastern family who owns a growing restaurant business in central London ([04:12]).
• In the context of the Israel-Gaza conflict in 2023-24, he becomes a visible pro-Palestinian activist, both online and at real-life protests.
• His activism leads to close-knit community ties: “To have a community, a WhatsApp group… to be together, that was a nice thing for people to be part of.” (Ali, [03:56])

2. A Volatile Relationship as a Trigger

• Ali meets Leila, a Palestinian banker, after a protest and they enter a volatile, on-again/off-again relationship ([05:45]).
• Leila’s personal trauma and subsequent pregnancy complicate the relationship. They agree on an abortion but tensions escalate.

3. The Hacking and Harassment Begin

• After the breakup and during Ali’s activism, his personal and business digital life gets invaded:
  • An email arrives from an “ethical hacker” threatening to expose sensitive information—claims of illegal employment, a pregnancy, intimate photos ([07:49], [08:12])
  • Explicit photos stolen from an old phone appear, further threatening Ali: “There’s a dick pic of mine that gets sent to me and it says TikTok. That’s all it says. TikTok, TikTok.” (Ali, [08:21])

4. Escalation: Business and Reputation Attacks

• Ali, friends, clients, and even his mother receive anonymous emails with damaging allegations and explicit content ([10:04]).
• The hacker edits business systems, disrupts scheduling, and manipulates the restaurant’s online footprint ([11:13]).
• Hundreds of one-star reviews appear online, many seemingly organized via hostile online groups: “A cart and paste paragraph… shopped around these different Facebook groups…” (Ali, [12:41])

5. Personal and Emotional Fallout

• Under relentless attack, Ali’s mental health collapses; he considers suicide as the cyberbullying intensifies ([11:38]).
• Ali finally confides in his family, leading to a moment of catharsis: “I remember just collapsing, you know, in her arms. I did feel dead inside.” (Ali, [17:16])

6. Family, Record-Keeping, and Police Indifference

• Ali’s mother meticulously documents all incidents and contacts the police, but they prove unhelpful ([17:47]).
• A private investigator, Nick, is hired and quickly suspects the perpetrator is someone close to Ali, not an anonymous distant hacker.

7. The Investigation Breakthrough

• Nick’s digital forensics tie the harassment to Leila through IP tracking and timing of incidents ([34:16]):

  “As the images sent and accounts accessed were from the original stolen mobile phone, I felt this linked these two offenses. This was not a sophisticated attack, but… actions of someone with a personal grudge against Ali.” —Nick, Private Investigator ([34:16])

8. Systemic Barriers and Outdated Procedures

• Ali and his family struggle with police bureaucracy; data that could be vital in a prosecution risks expiry due to police delays ([36:33]).
• Claire’s Law is invoked, and the police put Ali on a “999 watch list,” but practical support is limited ([36:59]).

9. Broader Reflections: Activism, Gender, and Vulnerability

• Ali’s case is contextualized within rising digital harassment, especially against activists, women, and minorities ([38:10]).
• Basha Cummings, as a Jewish journalist, also faces a wave of antisemitic abuse while reporting the story:

  “You make me sick. Honestly, you make me sick. People like you make me sick, saying… you are from the synagogue of Satan.” —Voicemail to Basha ([21:43])

10. Aftermath and Unresolved Questions

• By winter 2024, the attacks stop, but deep damage remains:

  “Ali’s experience, while shocking, is not uncommon… I felt blinded by a modern horror story and how easy it is to ruin a life.” —Basha Cummings ([39:00])

• The episode ends on uncertainty: Was all this solely revenge for a broken relationship, or did geopolitics and activism make Ali more of a target?

---

Memorable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• On Community and Activism:
  “To have a community, a WhatsApp group… to be together, that was a nice thing for people to be part of.” —Ali ([03:56])

• On Business Pride:
  “I’m proud of a global brand like that. We represent my diaspora across the world and I couldn’t be prouder of my baby that I built.” —Ali ([04:23])

• Hacker Threats:
  “Hi. We’ve been watching you for some time. We know you watch these porno websites. We know that you have got a girl pregnant. We know that you’ve got a cookbook deal. We know that you illegally employ staff at your business…” ([07:49])

• On Emotional Collapse:
  "At that point, I felt really, really, like, despair and low. And there was this moment I thought, this is how and why people would probably commit suicide when they're under this level of, like, cyber attack and you don't really know how and where it's coming from..." —Ali ([11:38])

• Family Support:
  "He was so distressed and he couldn't get words out because he was sobbing. And I said, Ali, whatever it is, Mummy loves you unconditionally. We'll get through it." —Ali’s Mother ([16:24])

• On Being ‘Hacked’:
  "If I hear you say the hacker one more time, I'm gonna slap you. It's her." —Nick, Private Investigator ([18:42])

• Police Procedures and Frustration:
  “I need to show you this spreadsheet. This is complex. There’s layers to this. There’s evidence already pointing to her…” —Ali ([36:12])

• Investigative Summary:
  “The degree of malice directed against Ali has caused me to be concerned for Ali’s personal safety.” —Nick, Private Investigator ([34:16])

• Reporter’s Personal Reflection:
  "I felt blinded by a modern horror story and how easy it is to ruin a life." —Basha Cummings ([39:00])

---

Notable Segment Timestamps

• 01:36 — Introduction by Basha Cummings
• 04:12 — Ali's business, activism, and background
• 07:49 — First threatening hacker email
• 10:04 — Widespread harassment and business sabotage
• 12:03 — Start of one-star online review sabotage
• 13:34 — Online mob action against Ali’s business
• 17:16 — Ali’s breakdown and family support
• 18:42 — Introduction of Nick, the private investigator; “It’s her” revelation
• 34:16 — Forensic summary tying the attack to Leila
• 36:59 — Claire’s Law and police risk mitigation
• 38:10 — Broader context: digital harassment statistics
• 39:00 — Reflection on the intersection of activism, gender, and vulnerability

---

Tone and Language

The episode is told with empathy, a careful eye for detail, and a deep sense of urgency. Both Ali and Basha Cummings speak candidly about distress, confusion, and the pain inflicted by online and personal attacks. There’s an undercurrent of anger at systemic failures, and of solidarity within the targeted communities and families.

---

Conclusion

This gripping episode centers on the weaponization of the Internet and anonymous digital threats, showing how easily activism and personal disputes can spiral into public, deeply destructive campaigns. More broadly, it spotlights the inadequacy of current legal and institutional frameworks to tackle online abuse—a modern cautionary tale rendered in raw, authentic voices.

---

For more stories like Ali’s, listen to Tortoise’s “Slow Newscast” or the complete "Hoaxed" series.

Transcript

[Progressive Insurance Announcer]

Insurance isn't one size fits all. That's why drivers have enjoyed Progressive's Name your Price tool for years now. With the name your price tool, you tell them what you want to pay and they'll show you options that fit your budget. So whether you're picking out your first policy or just looking for something that works better for you and your family, they make it easy to see your options. Visit progressive.com find a rate that works for you with the name your price tool. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates Price and coverage match limited by state law

[Grow Therapy / Aura Advertiser]

and Everyone treats summer like it owes you happiness. Long days, pool parties, your best life on a loop. So what does it mean when you feel worse? The summer blues are real. It's why summer is one of the busiest stretches of the year for people starting Therapy Grow Therapy is here for all the moments when you decide you want more. More support, more clarity, more tools. Grow connects you with thousands of high quality licensed therapists across the US Offering both virtual and in person sessions, nights and weekend. The therapist you want takes your insurance on. Grow grow accepts over 125 insurance plans. Sessions average $21 with insurance and some pay as little as $0 depending on their plan. Visit growtherapy.com acast today to get started. That's growtherapy.com acast growtherapy.com acast availability and coverage vary by state and insurance plan.

[Basha Cummings]

The observer hello, it's Basha Cummings here. I was the editor of Hoaxed, and I'm here because I want to play you a story that was first told to me by my colleague Eva Wiseman. It starts with a mislaid phone and a missing shoe, and it quickly consumes both her life and and the man to whom it all happened. A man that we're calling Ali. If you want to hear more stories like it, you can find it on our weekly narrative series, the Slow Newscast. But for now, I'm going to hand over to Eva. So I should first say Ali is not his real name. We're having to protect his identity and we've also removed details that might make some people in the story identifiable. Mostly that's because it's ongoing and police are involved. People marching for peace in Gaza became a common sight in 2023. Images of brutality were filtering out of Gaza during Israel's relentless bombing campaign. The United nations says nearly a million

[Ali's Mother]

Palestinians have fled their homes in the Gaza Strip.

[Basha Cummings]

Gaz Hamas run Health Ministry says at

[Grow Therapy / Aura Advertiser]

least 241 people have been killed in

[Ali]

the past 24 hours in Gaza itself, hospitals are overrun with the injured and the dead.

[Basha Cummings]

Each week, newspapers were filled with photos of death and destruction.

[Progressive Insurance Announcer]

Welcome back.

[Basha Cummings]

Amid growing concerns over the trajectory of

[Progressive Insurance Announcer]

the war, Israel appears to be signaling it will not slow down its offensive in Gaza.

[Ali]

World Health Organization says almost all the hospitals in the Gaza Strip have now stopped functioning. I was very vocal about Palestine. I was very vocal about being pro the Palestinian cause and everything they were enduring and endured.

[Basha Cummings]

Ali, a middle aged son of Middle Eastern parents, took part in the protests and was vocal about the cause online and in real life, where he quickly found community.

[Ali]

So I think to have a community, a WhatsApp group members joining all the time and for people to meet at the protest every week and to be together, that was a nice thing for people to be part of.

[Basha Cummings]

He owns a small restaurant and had recently been expanding his business, setting up a restaurant in central London. And with COVID and soaring prices, it's not been easy. But he's managed it.

[Ali]

I've built my business from nothing and we've built a fucking. I'm proud of a global brand like that. We represent my diaspora across the world and I couldn't be proud of my baby that I built.

[Basha Cummings]

These are busy times. Growing a business, organizing marches and rebuilding himself and his life after a breakup. In some ways, Ali's life began to be increasingly defined by his pro Palestinian stance. He was unabashed in making his views clear in a professional capacity, while that community behind the protests were becoming more like friends.

[Ali]

It was the peak time of the pro Palestinian movement in London with the protests. I was an avid supporter of going to the protests and I remember someone had mentioned that it was a guy's birthday and people were going there for drinks after the protest. I remember heading there and it was towards the end of the night when I was kind of. It wasn't like late, but I was kind of looking to wrap up and go. I met her, I'd say she's very charming and I felt there was some vibe between us. That night I went to her place and we were intimate and that was kind of the start of, I guess, us dating.

[Basha Cummings]

Leila was a Palestinian banker and while the relationship began well, within a few months they were on the rocks. They fought noisily and split up tearily and got back together twice. She explained the struggle of missing her family in Palestine and the way traumatic experiences as a child continued to affect her. For Ali, fresh out of a difficult relationship, it was too much to handle so quickly.

[Ali]

I remember towards the end I was just, I'm done.

[Basha Cummings]

Leila became pregnant, but they agreed to have an abortion. And Ali was keen to move on and focus on his work and his activism. As the conflict in Gaza deepened and escalated, Ali spent his Saturdays protesting in the press. He'd read about pro Palestinian activists having their online accounts censored. In 2023, Human Rights Watch reported on systemic online censorship, how Mehta had been silencing voices in support of Palestine. And in 2024, the French newspaper Le Monde reported on a telegram group organized to troll and dox people spreading pro Palestinian messages. All this piqued Ali's anxiety.

[Ali]

I know people have. Their followings have been cut exponentially, like loads of followers have been removed. Their reach there, be it stories or engagement, is completely reduced. I'm not someone big time. These people are way bigger reaches than mine and all that stuff. But again, you're, you're, you're paranoid.

[Basha Cummings]

Unusual things had been happening in his flat. Ali had new Windows installed, which made his flat seem a little brighter. But days after the window fitters had left, he discovered certain things missing. The old Samsung phone, collections of spare change. He called the police. He told them about the windows and that he'd hosted dinner parties for his community of pro Palestine activists. That people had been coming in and out of his house. And then, in early summer, an email arrived.

[Ali]

Hi. We've been watching you for some time. We know that you watch these porno websites. We know that you have got a girl pregnant. We know that you've got a cookbook deal. We know that you illegally employ staff at your business. We know that you take cash payments and don't declare it to hmrc.

[Basha Cummings]

The message was from somebody calling themselves an ethical hacker. They told him that unless he shut down his business's social media, they'd destroy him.

[Ali]

I think the next day there's a dick pic of mine that gets sent to me and it says TikTok. TikTok. That's all it says. TikTok, TikTok. And a picture of my penis. So this was all off my old phone. So this is years before, Years before. And we'd like sent intimate messages to each other. And I remember seeing that and thinking, fuck.

[Basha Cummings]

And he wonders who's behind it.

[Ali]

And again it fed into like the Zionist thing, coming after me to expose me due to my stand with Palestine.

[Basha Cummings]

It was then that Layla, his recent text calls.

[Ali]

The next day she calls me. Missed call, missed call, missed call, missed call. I answer the phone, why on earth have you sent an email to my Work. I was like, what? I haven't sent you anything. Why have you sent me an email to my work? The subject line says, pregnancy. What the fuck? I don't know what you're talking about. I said, check the email cause I haven't sent you anything. And she said something along the lines of the file wall has blocked the email, or the IT team have. Have blocked it, but they can see the subject line, they can see it's from Ali. And I was like, well, that's not me. And then she starts calming down, like, what is it? Like, what is it? Why is, why is, why. Why is. Why am I being sent something? And then she goes, did you receive anything? Did you receive anything? And I just said, no. I said, I don't know what you're talking about.

[Basha Cummings]

Every day saw another threat. One email read, simply having fun. On May 22, Leila called again in a panic, saying two emails had been sent to her workplace revealing her pregnancy. Emails were being sent in his name. He was getting security alerts about password changes, new two factor authentication requests on his Yahoo account, his Gmail outlook. Over a matter of weeks, there were hundreds of calls from friends, clients, colleagues and the managers of his restaurant complex saying they'd received another email containing explicit messages between Ali and dates, details of business expenses, the warning that he fucks Jewish women for Palestine. Ali's mother received an email congratulating her on a new grandchildren. And his restaurant continued to be targeted. Their scheduling and till systems had been edited. People's names were misspelled, the menu had been changed and prices and opening times. The settings had been altered so staff could only accept cash. Local councils where he had kitchens received alerts.

[Ali]

They both got emails to say, there's rats in the kitchen, you need to expect that, close the premises down immediately. So we then had to deal with that.

[Basha Cummings]

At the end of May, Ali woke to find somebody had hacked into his restaurant's website and changed the homepage. There, beneath an unflattering photo of him, were lists of their cash takings. Individuals at his restaurant were targeted and threatened.

[Ali]

At that point, I felt really, really, like, despair and low. And there was this moment I thought, this is how and why people would probably commit suicide when they're under this level of, like, cyber attack and you don't really know how and where it's coming from and you've built and stood for with, like, values and integrity, like, just like ruined.

[Basha Cummings]

And then silence.

[Ali]

I just couldn't sleep as well. I remember just like, not sleeping. Within days, I got My first like one star Google review and it was in Google. It was like antisemitic, homophobic stuff, daft, don't come here. And then it was Jew hating business. Found hairs in my food also one star. This really rattled me again.

[Basha Cummings]

This is when I first came across Ali's story. The story I thought I was going to tell was whether Ali's Palestinian activism had caused his restaurant to suffer, whether he was being targeted for that activism.

[Ali]

I remember telling my friend who was a bit of an IT guy and he half an hour later was like, bro, this is what is being put on some Facebook groups. And it was like this cart and paste paragraph that was shopped around these different Facebook groups that were far right Israeli groups saying we dined at alleys and we were shocked to say that we found the staff homophobic, anti Semitic and anti Jew. Please join us in leaving a one star review to fight against this anti Semitic hate. And I remember looking at who wrote that. And again it was this Facebook like a dud fucking account, a bot account. At the time I didn't know that and I was obsessed with who this guy is. You get lost in who is this guy.

[Basha Cummings]

Ali contacted Google to see if the reviews could be removed. But without much luck. And the one star reviews that kept coming and in under a week there were over a hundred, I think it

[Ali]

was, we counted 116 one star Google reviews had come in.

[Basha Cummings]

Ali has a screenshot on his phone from the time a glut of notification after notification coming in of his restaurant, getting one star reviews. Hairs on my food. They said staff were racist. One star Ali denied that he or anyone working for him was anti Semitic.

[Ali]

The claims were lies, they were based out in Tel Aviv and all sorts of places. But it was like, right, fuck him. Another business who hates us, let's get our own back.

[Basha Cummings]

At the time I was interested in the power of anonymous reviews. At a time of instability in the hospitality industry. That summer 2024, Ali posted a statement on social media saying he'd been hacked, that lies were being spread and having a profound impact on his business. And then his friends, supporters, strangers, they showed up.

[Ali]

It went probably way more viral than I thought it could of people resharing people then putting like five star reviews on my Google to show solidarity and support and people reporting the 1 star reviews and all this like amazing stuff.

[Basha Cummings]

But the day after friends commented underneath the post, lots of them received an email. The emails were from the hacker and contained details of Ali's alleged illegal activity and screenshots of explicit messages, including a link to a YouTube channel that had been created. It was made up solely of videos of Ali urinating. A friend of Ali's told me that he thought he was going mad. It was around this time, when Leila received another email to her work, that Ali realized he was spiraling.

[Ali]

I just remember at this point, my head couldn't cope anymore. And it was like I had a breakdown. I couldn't. I didn't know what to think or do or even believe anymore. It was like I broke. And I remember ringing my brother and I was like, can you collect me?

[Basha Cummings]

It was in June, following months of turmoil and torment, that Ali finally shared what's been happening with his mum. He'd reached the end of what he could cope with.

[Ali's Mother]

So the actual weekend that he came home, my other son rang me. He said, oh, Mum, Ali's coming home for a few days. And I was always excited. I'm lovely, lovely. And they came through the door. And my first reaction was, their father has died.

[Basha Cummings]

It took Ali a long time to confide in his family, especially his mother.

[Ali's Mother]

He was so distressed and he couldn't get words out because he was sobbing. And I said, ali, whatever it is, Mummy loves you unconditionally. We'll get through it. I can't imagine what has happened to make you be the way you're presenting yourself to me. Don't worry, we'll get through it. You think it's bad, but there's always a solution to a problem. Just sit and tell Mummy what it is. It was heartbreaking to see him so broken and as a mum, helpless. I was there for him, like his strength to get him through it, as was his brother. We all struggled because we just, like, we listened. But what could we do?

[Basha Cummings]

Ali's mum sat and listened as he told the story of what the hacker had done.

[Ali]

I remember just collapsing, you know, in her arms. I did feel dead inside. I did feel like there was just nothing.

[Ali's Mother]

I just saw him broken. He wasn't eating.

[Ali]

And now I was protected and cocooned by my mom and my brother and my family. Now, shit went even further south.

[Basha Cummings]

Having been caught up with what had been happening, Ali's mum was now on hand.

[Ali's Mother]

I was meticulous in record keeping. So everything, every phone call, every email, every discussion, I logged with the date. So everything we recorded every phone call, we updated the crime reference. And then we realized the crime reference wasn't the right number. So we didn't know where all these updates were going. And we felt the police weren't taking it seriously. The overall police case and dealings with them have been disappointing.

[Basha Cummings]

Things continued, and the police, who he'd first contacted when his belongings went missing, weren't stepping up. Ali mentioned how unhelpful the police were being to his cousin, who introduced him to Nick, a private investigator. He spoke to them over Zoom.

[Ali]

I just felt like I'm with the right people. He goes, I want you to start from start to finish. And he says, I want all the details, warts and all. That was his term. And I remember two hours in he just goes like, I need to stop you. Ali. If I hear you say the hacker one more time, I'm gonna slap you. He's like, it's her.

[Progressive Insurance Announcer]

This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance do you ever think about switching insurance companies to see if you could save some cash? Progressive makes it easy to see if you could save when you bundle your home and auto policies. Try [e-mail] Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states.

[Grow Therapy / Aura Advertiser]

Everyone treats summer like it owes you happiness. Long days, pool parties. Your best life on a loop. So what does it mean when you feel worse? The summer blues are real. It's why summer is one of the busiest stretches of the year for people starting therapy. Grow Therapy is here for all the moments when you decide you want more. More support, more clarity, more tools. Grow connects you with thousands of high quality licensed therapists across the US Offering both virtual and in person sessions, nights and weekends. The therapist you want takes your insurance on. Grow Grow accepts over 125 insurance plans. Sessions average $21 with insurance and some pay as little as $0 depending on their plan. Visit growtherapy.com acast today to get started. That's growththerapy.com acast growththerapy.com acast availability and coverage vary by state and insurance plan.

[Basha Cummings]

I've been a journalist for a long time, but I tend to write about culture rather than crime. And I was unprepared when I started reporting this story, how much it would come to take over my life. I talked about it to my children. I messaged sources minutes after doing a wedding speech. I regularly dreamed about the protagonist, though we've changed people's names and removed some details. The unease that's real. The facts and threats made in the long shadow of a war in Gaza. The way distant conflict can influence identity and be used as a tool of manipulation. The way it provides a disturbing snapshot of an unusual moment that's all real. I'm Jewish, and like many, have spent the last three years unpicking the stories I was taught about Israel from my Jewish identity at a time when antisemitism is rising and when that rise is being politicized. One day I opened Instagram to a voice message.

[Ali]

You make me sick. Honestly, you make me sick. People like you make me sick, saying

[Basha Cummings]

I was destroying society from within.

[Ali]

You're influencing the people of this country to do the worst things. We know your game, okay, because you are from the synagogue of Satan.

[Nick, Private Investigator]

We know.

[Basha Cummings]

It wasn't the first time I'd experienced anti Semitism, of course, but this message bothered me more than previous ones, partly because of the man's voice, quite gentle in my ear, and the way he repeatedly used my name.

[Ali]

Now, what's interesting to me is Ava, okay, is your disposition to the profane.

[Basha Cummings]

Part of me also wondered perhaps whether I was being warned away from this story. His message was to be the first of hundreds that week, many of them comments under memes featuring my face.

[Ali]

When these scum are expelled from civilized society, then we can continue what our ancestors started and what they have worked

[Basha Cummings]

so hard to destroy, said another wrote.

[Ali]

We need to find this person in real life.

[Basha Cummings]

Another simply gas Jews. There was a feeling suddenly of being on quicksand. And so this story has taken on a special, haunting resonance for me in a way I'd never quite expected. But it's not about me, it's about Ali and the story behind those one star reviews. One that involves blackmail, revenge, the limits of police power, that single missing shoe, and a whole year stolen.

[Ali]

There's just so many layers to the story.

[Basha Cummings]

The year leading up to those one star reviews had been a catalogue of life miseries for Ali.

[Ali]

She was a friend of a friend. I'd known nothing about her.

[Basha Cummings]

He met Leila at that dinner in the winter of 2023, following a protest. The relationship was volatile.

[Ali]

I think there were certain times where you just. Every time you kind of got a bit close, it was like a pull away. And this real kind of Jekyll and Hyde, but also Tom and Jerry vibe. It was just so draining.

[Basha Cummings]

Leila was finding the Gaza war difficult, as was Ali. And Ali was stressed. Things were going missing. A certain measured paranoia soon settled in as he noticed odd things happening on his phone.

[Ali]

I remember one friend emailed me about charity catering for a charity thing. Like, the email disappeared from the face of the earth and I was racking my brains. I was like, I know this person sent me this email.

[Basha Cummings]

His laptop would suddenly run out of Charge. People were struggling to contact him on WhatsApp.

[Ali]

I had photos deleted, I had followers unfollowed. I had WhatsApp people blocked. This is just like little blips happening.

[Basha Cummings]

He'd seen his friends have their followings online plummet, and he'd read about activists being targeted. But it wasn't just his digital footprint being targeted.

[Ali]

I remember I had to go to a wedding and my friend's wedding, and my best pair of shoes. I had them out to wear and for whatever reason, I didn't bother wearing them and I left them wherever. I don't think it matched the outfit or I just didn't wear them. And when I came back from the wedding, I just remember looking down and seeing that there was just, like, one shoe of my best pair of shoes tied in my room. And, like, I could only find one fucking shoe. And I was like, what?

[Basha Cummings]

We've all waylaid things. That momentary lapse where the brain steps out of its usual rhythm. But for Ali, this had been happening a lot.

[Ali]

I just remember feeling so cold. It was just like, what? But also, no, no, no, someone's not gonna fucking steal a shoe. It did then encourage me to have a look around my room. And at that point, I remember opening my wardrobe and there was quite a lot missing. Jumpers, jackets, James.

[Basha Cummings]

It felt as though there was a low ringing in the air, a tension that drifted through all aspects of Ali's life. Unable to shake his discomfort or suspicion that he was being targeted for his activism, he called the police again.

[Ali]

When the police entered, I was sharing with them what had happened. And obviously they're like. You could see their reaction. It wasn't laughter, but it was almost like, what? Everyone in the room is confused and I'm second guessing myself.

[Basha Cummings]

It was alongside this, Ali was struggling with his relationship with Layla. Towards the end of March 2024, he'd had enough.

[Ali]

I remember towards the end, I was just, I'm done. That was. Yeah, that was the straw that. That broke the camel's back and there were a few straws and that was the last occasion. It was. She had an unbelievable outburst where she was, like, forcing me to kiss her and I just didn't want to because, like, we'd already had, like, you know, we'd been. We'd already been on the rocks and she. She went a bit mad. I remember feeling very scared in the room.

[Basha Cummings]

Ali cried himself to sleep that night, but it felt like there was hope too.

[Ali]

And what was lovely is I was getting out of there. I had a consultancy job in France.

[Basha Cummings]

The next day, in April 2024, Ali left for a consultancy job in Europe and away from Leyla. But the messages didn't stop.

[Ali]

She still didn't get it. Her saying, I love you fiercely, Ali, and I'll do whatever it takes. And I was just like this, not love. We're now post France. I come back and I just remember she was insistent on meeting. And then she tells me her period's late and I just felt sick.

[Basha Cummings]

Leila was pregnant and said it was his.

[Ali]

I think quite early on, she could see that I wasn't gonna be a fucking idiot about things. I was there to be like, look, if abortion is on the cards, I can't force you, but if I can, I don't support or be there. I will, but at the same time, I don't want to be with you. And it was like early stages of my life being hacked. I didn't know who the perpetrator was. Now I wanted to get as far away from this female as possible.

[Basha Cummings]

She phoned Ali constantly. He'd made his position clear. He'd like her to get an abortion, but he would support her.

[Ali]

You need to pay and book the morning after pill and you need to book a hospital appointment and pay for it. And this was quite early on. So I remember I walked with her to this appointment and I never forget. We got to the door, I wanted to, like, understand what was going on. Is it even mine? Is it like, what's happening here? And I remember she made me wait outside. She was like, no, no, no, you're not coming in. And I remember feeling, what? And again, I look back now, it's just another form of controlling the narrative.

[Basha Cummings]

As weeks passed, Layla's mood was increasingly charged. In England, Scotland and Wales, women can only take the abortion pill at home within 10 weeks of pregnancy. Ali felt like time was running out.

[Ali]

She was alluding to like, we're done now, let's get this wrapped up. But I couldn't trust or fucking anything that was coming out of her mouth. Everything was choppy, choppy and changing and everything. Biologically, we were running out of time. I was just, fucking hell, we're nearly there. Because at this stage, again, I just wanted to know so I could just get on with my life.

[Basha Cummings]

He'd been out drinking with a friend when suddenly he was getting bombarded with messages.

[Ali]

And I remember her constantly being like, who you with? Who you with? Who are you with? Who are you with? Where are you? Where are you? And at this stage, I'm. I'M not giving her anything. Cause everything I did give her before was ammunition against me. So I'm not gonna fucking tell you shit.

[Basha Cummings]

Ali was insistent. He wanted her out of his life.

[Ali]

And I was asking her, do you want to do it at yours? Do you want to do it at mine again? Like, I look back now, I'm like, what was I doing? Do you want to do it? Do you want to do it at a hotel? This is the final curtain now. And she was like, yeah.

[Basha Cummings]

Relief swept Ali. He bought her a hot water bottle. But she wanted reassurance, something to show he wouldn't abandon her. After the abortion, it got to a

[Ali]

point where I had to sign something to say I wouldn't go anywhere for X amount of weeks. Dear Layla, this is my personal guarantee that I will be by your side throughout the abortion. She doesn't take the pill. Two days later, an official hacker reveals himself in my inbox. And this is the real start of the story. The email is from an email domain called Ethical Hacker9988ProtonMe.

[Basha Cummings]

Nick is in his 50s, ex military, ex law enforcement. Bald, charismatic. His company specializes in cyber intelligence and cyber security. Businesses hire them to test their internal systems as actual ethical hackers. But Ali's was not a typical hacking case. For one thing, the hacker wasn't hacking him. They were accessing his accounts. Nick quickly worked out from the single stolen Samsung phone, tracking him on Google Maps, social media and WhatsApp. A picture began to emerge in April, on the day Ali had left his laptop at Layla's flat. Mid fight, an IT consultant told him it had been installed with software that scrapes its data, then self destructs. Nick compiled a report. It described how Ali felt he'd been the victim of what I deemed to be coercive and controlling behaviour with an ex partner. Ali's mum had put together records of all their interactions and incidents, realising how unlike Ali it was for things to go missing.

[Ali's Mother]

He treated himself for his 40th birthday to these handmade shoes, which I said, you're ridiculous paying that for them. You're mad. He wanted to treat himself. Then one went missing. Like, how does that happen? And so he was telling me all snippets of how the relationship. He distanced himself. He knew this relationship was going nowhere with her behaviors and what she'd put him through. And so this was an outpouring, you know, while he was telling me, they

[Basha Cummings]

put together a timeline of events, logging IP addresses to identify where the user had accessed the Internet.

[Nick, Private Investigator]

So things happened you'll have to forgive me, I can't remember which account it was. Things happened on one of Ali's accounts that was from Ali's house, from his IP address and Ali wasn't there. So I'd go back to Ali saying, right, I've identified this, this date time. Where were you? No, you know, and everyone. It was coming back to that one individual.

[Basha Cummings]

He drew up a concise statement so that Ali could present their findings to the police.

[Nick, Private Investigator]

On 27th of April 2024, I understand Ali reported numerous items missing from his flat to the police, one of which was his old Samsung mobile phone. As the images sent and accounts accessed were from the original stolen mobile phone, I felt this linked these two offenses. This was not a sophisticated attack, but it is in fact the actions of someone with a personal grudge against Ali. The IP data indicated Ali's ex girlfriend, Layla to be the offender. The degree of malice directed against Ali has caused me to be concerned for Ali's personal safety.

[Basha Cummings]

After reading the report, Ali looked back at his texts with Leila.

[Ali]

They're not there because everything's been deleted by her. All the tracks have been covered and do you know what's still there? I've still got it now is like a message from her saying she loves me.

[Basha Cummings]

Suddenly, things started to come into focus. He remembered one time when Leila said her mum was being targeted getting phone calls from random numbers.

[Ali]

She went into my browser history after she said, have you googled me? And then she like, again, like, had a big hoo ha about that. Oh, oh, that's great. They must have everything now. Could see quite a lot of things. I can't even explain to you how this felt, but it was almost like she was showing me how her slash the hacker has got the info. It was like she was showing me and then I remember saying to her, like, how the fuck do you know all this? And she just had this fucking weird smirk on her face.

[Basha Cummings]

Using the information gathered by Nick, Ali and his mum went back to the police. But he found them slow and frustrating. Despite his pleas.

[Ali]

I need to show you this spreadsheet. This is complex. There's layers to this. There's evidence already pointing to her. There's things I need to share with you. There are things that need to be actioned very, very soon because they have a shelf life, like IP addresses.

[Basha Cummings]

After a certain amount of time, typically between six to 18 months, IP data is no longer recoverable. At the time Ali had this meeting, over a year had passed since the harassment had begun. To this day, they still have his laptop. There was one police officer though, that Ali felt grateful for. When police came to his flat after he'd reported those odd initial thefts, he told them he'd been dating a woman who he thought was unstable.

[Ali]

And I'll never forget, as the policewoman left, she was like, have you heard of Claire's Law?

[Basha Cummings]

In Salford, in 2009, 36 year old Claire Wood was murdered by an abusive ex boyfriend who had a history of violence against women. Following a campaign by her father in 2014, England and Wales formally rolled out Claire's Law, also known as the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme. This is a police policy giving people the right to know if their partner or ex has any previous history of violence or abuse or. In May, Ali's mother made an application to the police on his behalf. And about a month after that, they called her back, recommending a secure line. By this time, he was so fearful, he was using a selection of burner phones. And in the meeting he was crying so much he felt like he was floating above himself looking down at the scene. Afterwards, his mother remembers, he said they'd

[Ali's Mother]

put him on a 999 watch list so he feels he's in trouble or in a dangerous place. They will go out to him immediately. And he said, mum, that's all I can tell you.

[Basha Cummings]

A source later revealed to us that Ali was not Leila's only victim. When laid out like this, it might feel obvious, but Ali still can't shake the sense it might be connected to his activism. In some ways, he's not wrong. When Ali first started to tell me his story, unpeeling the year as if an onion, it revealed itself to be a chronicle of harassment that spoke immediately to the febrile moment we find ourselves in, of displaced tensions and geopolitical anxieties and unfinished paths of justice. It was also a portrait of the competing powers of an Internet in flux. Ali used it to bolster his political causes. His blackmailer used it to attack. By the winter of 2024, the harassment seemed to have stopped. The question of why him lingered. If it was Layla, this level of revenge for his rejection of their brief relationship seemed outsized, unhinged. Had he wronged her in a way he didn't realize? Had he been correct, if only obliquely, to feel that he was being targeted for his activism? Was their relationship an example of geopolitics in miniature? Ali's experience, while shocking, is not uncommon. In 2021, 41% of U.S. adults reported that they'd experienced online harassment, with rates significantly higher for women journalists, activists, and LGBTQ people. Since then, generative AI has escalated this even further, enabling automated harassment at scale. Ali wondered what role gender played in his case and about the way structures of justice for online crimes are evolving far slower than the crimes themselves. Me, I felt blinded by a modern horror story and how easy it is to ruin a life. Nick, Ali's private investigator, advised him not to be interviewed by the Observer. Still, he understood Ali's impulse to talk. He needs to take control of his life, he said. But it's a gamble, he told him. Be prepared, because this isn't the end. The observer.

[Grow Therapy / Aura Advertiser]

Most people don't realize how much of their personal information is being bought and sold every day. Data brokers are making billions, pulling details about you from public records and the Internet, then packaging and selling it, usually without your consent. That's how your information lands in the hands of scammers, spammers, even stalkers. It's why you get endless robocalls and why ads seem to follow you everywhere. That's where Aura comes in. Aura actively removes your data from broker sites and keeps it off. They also instantly alert you if your information shows up in a breach or on the dark web. But Aura goes beyond data protection. With one app, you get a vpn, antivirus, password manager, spam, call protection, dark web monitoring, and even up to $5 million in identity theft insurance, all backed by 24. 7 US based fraud support. Other companies might sell just credit monitoring or even just a vpn. Aura gives you all of it together at the price competitors charge for just one service. Start your free trial [e-mail] safety protect yourself [e-mail] safety.