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Hoax call to David Cameron prompts security review | Hoax call to David Cameron prompts security review |
(8 minutes later) | |
Downing Street says it is to review security procedures after a hoax caller was put through to Prime Minister David Cameron. | Downing Street says it is to review security procedures after a hoax caller was put through to Prime Minister David Cameron. |
Number 10 said the caller claimed to be Robert Hannigan, director of government monitoring agency GCHQ. | Number 10 said the caller claimed to be Robert Hannigan, director of government monitoring agency GCHQ. |
Mr Cameron ended the call when it became clear it was a hoax and no sensitive information was disclosed. | Mr Cameron ended the call when it became clear it was a hoax and no sensitive information was disclosed. |
GCHQ is also conducting a review after Mr Hannigan's mobile phone number was disclosed during an earlier hoax call. | |
The contact number given out for the GCHQ head is thought to have been for an unclassified phone rather than one of the secure lines used for sensitive communications. | The contact number given out for the GCHQ head is thought to have been for an unclassified phone rather than one of the secure lines used for sensitive communications. |
And although the call to Mr Cameron was made to an official mobile, the conversation was understood to have been "quite brief". | And although the call to Mr Cameron was made to an official mobile, the conversation was understood to have been "quite brief". |
Radio DJ | |
A government spokeswoman said a notice has gone out to all departments to be on the alert for hoax calls following the incident. | A government spokeswoman said a notice has gone out to all departments to be on the alert for hoax calls following the incident. |
She said: "The prime minister ended the call when it became clear it was a hoax. In neither instance was sensitive information disclosed. | She said: "The prime minister ended the call when it became clear it was a hoax. In neither instance was sensitive information disclosed. |
"Both GCHQ and Number 10 take security seriously and both are currently reviewing procedures following these hoax calls to ensure that the government learns any lessons from this incident." | "Both GCHQ and Number 10 take security seriously and both are currently reviewing procedures following these hoax calls to ensure that the government learns any lessons from this incident." |
It was not the first time Downing Street had fallen victim to hoax callers. | |
In 1998, radio DJ Steve Penk, pretending to be the then Conservative leader William Hague, managed to speak to Tony Blair. | |
Four years later, hoaxers overwhelmed the Downing Street switchboard by tricking thousands of people into calling Number 10 asking to speak to "Tony". |