Lycett convulsed his listeners, recounting how he had set up fake social media profiles for Ross McEwan, the then CEO of the Royal Bank of Scotland, after a viewer complained that the banking group had refused to refund £8,000 she had lost in a scam. Despite initially convincing tweets, his Twitter followers smelt a rat when the bogus McEwan posted “I’ve got a smelly bum bum”, Lycett recalled – a phrase that was definitely a Hansard first.
Committee chair Nicky Morgan invited Viscount Colville, the Chief of Clan Colville, to ask a question. “Yes, of course. Viscount” intoned Lycett flirtatiously, in the style of a saucy Kenneth Williams wooing Joan Sims in Carry On Up The Khyber. “I don’t know if I’ve ever met a Viscount before”.
“That’s very thrilling for you, I’m so pleased”, replied the Clan Chieftain.
But soon the pair were guiding the committee through a terrifying inventory of fraud – from romance fraud, “looping people into a romantic relationship and then taking money from them gradually”, to “get rich quick schemes” and dark web “sucker lists” containing people’s personal data which scammers can buy for about 20p per person.
Lycett and Cox disseminated acres of jaw-dropping information amid the banter. Despite popular cliches about gullible geriatrics, the cohort aged 16-35 are apparently far more vulnerable to fraud than the elderly, and the pair demanded that students be educated on personal finance and tell-tale signs to avoid being scammed later in life. Both spoke movingly of the feelings of shame and guilt many victims feel after being duped.
For all the farce of the Other Place, Joe Lycett’s House of Lords debut proved an enlightening hour. As Shakespeare understood, sometimes fools can be the wisest people of all.
