Frederico Carvalhao of the Portuguese Security Information Service (SIS) intelligence agency may have been victim of what is called in the espionage world a "honeypot" trap, according to reports. Carvalhao was known for having relationships with women of Russian and Eastern European background. The honeypot trap is a tactic that involves convincing a victim to engage in espionage activities by exploiting them through romantic and sexual relationships.
Although the tactic is a common theme in fictional spy novels, there have also been several examples of it in real world situations.
Carvalhao had been on the radar of counter-intelligence units for around a year. He flew to Rome for what he thought was going to be a routine meeting with his Russian handler, little did he know Portuguese intelligence officials, in conjunction with Italian security officials, were already lying in wait to catch him.