Hoaxer posing as GCHQ boss prank-calls PM Cameron
A hoax caller claiming to be GCHQ’s chief spy was put through to UK Prime Minister David Cameron’s phone on Sunday.
The caller pretended to be Robert Hannigan, director of the government’s signal intelligence agency, but he apparently didn’t fool the prime minister and the call was quickly terminated.
A few days ago, Hannigan’s unlisted but unclassified mobile phone number was handed over during an earlier (probably related) hoax call.
Government departments have been advised to be wary of further hoax calls following the incident, which has prompted a security review, the BBC reports.
A government statement on the incident can be found here. The motive for the hoax – much less its perpetrator – remains unclear. The Sun, which broke the story, reported having received a call from a person claiming to be the hoaxer who told the red-top he was “off [his] face on booze and cocaine” when he rang the PM.
Downing Street is no stranger to hoax callers. Radio DJ Steve Penk, assisted by an impressionist pretending to be the then Conservative leader William Hague, was put through to former prime minister Tony Blair. He reached Blair simply by going through the Downing Street switchboard. ®
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Article source: http://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.co.uk/2015/01/26/gchq_david_cameron_prank_call/