Is anyone interested in a business proposal? Seriously, I got your details from someone I know at some British High Commission who said you might be able to help me move some $3402,000,000 from one account to another… No one? What about some magic beans then? 

Oh come on… someone must want some… The general perception amongst us online business men is that the British are gullible idiots.
 
Not too long ago I got an email from one of the high street banks directing me to its web site and urging me to input all of my personal details. Following the link took me through to a very official looking site that included a blank form plus a phone number in case I had any problems. 

Well, I have problems so I phoned the number, and explained to the woman that answered what had happened. She listened patiently until I informed her that, “the thing is, I don’t actually have an account with you”. 

She was obviously used to calls about these sorts of emails and was very polite in her suggestions. She explained to me that they were known as phishing attacks, while – I assume – drawing a diagram representing egg sucking which she intended to pass on to her grandmother. 

So, I’m an idiot with a phone. But it seems that the rest of the UK is a lot more sophisticated than I am, if a recent show on Channel Four is anything to go by.   

Fonejacker, which was shown as part of the channel’s Comedy Lab season used the old faithful comedy trick - the prank phone call, with some mixed results. The best calls involved the Fonejacker calling up Members of the General Public (MOTGP) and pretending to be from their bank or to be awarding them a cash prize, and asking for various details. 

What Fonejacker showed was that MOTGP have a really rather good understanding of what constitutes a phishing attack, and what sort of phone call – and let’s hope email - should make them put on that stiff upper lip, “now look here young man” voice that we Brits are really rather good at.

In one sketch the Fonejacker, pretending to be called George and adopting a thick African accent, called up a woman and told her that he was working for her bank, and that due to a cleaning operation her money was to be moved from one safe to another. In order to do this the cleaning firm that he worked for needed her account number before it would physically move the money. 

The woman, who wasn’t born yesterday, and apparently worked in a bank, soon put ‘George’ in his place and hung up. A wise woman, I shan’t be offering her any of my magic beans. 

Anyone else want to buy some? Will swap for cow.