Prime Minister exchanged messages with hoaxer

From the file marked "Well, this is awkward", it has been reported that UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham exchanged messages with someone impersonating one of the closest advisers to US President Donald Trump.

Contact with the person claiming to be White House chief of staff Susie Wiles was cut off after the PM became suspicious, according to Politico. Burnham has since said that he is not embarrassed by the exchange and insisted he did "everything right" in how he handled the security breach and that the exchange was minimal and "nothing of consequence", according to the BBC.

This is not the first time that a sitting Prime Minister has fallen victim to a hoax contact: in 2015, David Cameron spoke to someone claiming to be the head of GCHQ, who then admitted that it was a hoax call; in 2018, Boris Johnson was targeted by a Russian hoax call from someone claiming to be the PM of Armenia.

It does show that even with the best security teams and intelligence available even the top politicians of our land can fall victim to hoax calls, so don't feel embarassed if you get caught out by one. If you're suspicious, end the contact - if you feel you have revealed important personal details or transferred money, contact Report Fraud.