Criminals target Apprentice star in V&A Dundee scam bid
The Apprentice star Mike Soutar has revealed how he was targeted by criminals who used V&A Dundee in a bid to scam him.
The Dundee-born businessman, a regular on Lord Sugar's BBC show, received an email he believed had been sent by the museum's chairman, Tim Allan.
The message asked Mike – a board member at the V&A – to buy gift cards as a reward for hard-working staff at the museum.
But he eventually realised he was being scammed when one of his transactions was blocked.
Mike, who started his career at DC Thomson and is famed for catching out candidates on The Apprentice, posted about the scam bid on LinkedIn.
He said the email from 'Tim' asked him to buy £450-worth of iTunes vouchers and to send his V&A colleague the pin numbers.
Mike wrote: 'He sounds a bit stressed and impatient so I try to call him.
'I get no answer but, pressed for time myself, I buy £150 of vouchers.
'My credit card flags the second transaction and blocks it.
'I curse the overcautious fraud filter, and I tap on Tim's name at the top of the email address.
'It is not his email address.
'I message him. He phones me back. 'What's all this about vouchers?''
Mike says he got his money back but felt like an 'absolute mug' at nearly being caught out.
He said: 'The irony is not lost on me.
'I'm the man who catches unwitting candidates out on The Apprentice!
'But scams don't prey on stupidity. They prey on timing. On stress. On distraction. They exploit trust.
'That's why so many victims don't talk about it.
'Because it feels personal. It shakes something deeper than your bank balance.
'So here I am, not staying silent.
'Fraud can happen to anyone. Even me. Even you.'
The Courier has taken a look at 11 interesting facts about Mike, who has grilled Apprentice hopefuls since 2010.
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