You’d think someone who grills candidates on The Apprentice for a living would be immune to scams.
But even Mike Soutar – successful entrepreneur, seasoned interviewer, and publishing heavyweight – has just shared how he got caught out in a simple but sneaky con involving iTunes gift cards.
The 58-year-old, who regularly puts contestants through their paces on the BBC show alongside Lord Alan Sugar, admitted he fell victim to a convincing online fraud.
And now, he’s decided to go public to warn others that if it can happen to him, it can happen to anyone.
A Familiar Name, A Simple Request – And a Clever Deception
The scam started with what looked like a perfectly ordinary email from Scottish businessman Tim Allan – someone Mike knows well and serves with on the board of the V&A Museum in Dundee.
The email asked for a favour: could he pick up some iTunes gift cards as a gesture of appreciation for staff working hard on a new exhibition?
It all seemed legit. Tim’s a respected colleague, and the request felt like something he’d genuinely ask.
So, without thinking too hard, Mike agreed. Pressed for time, he managed to buy £150 worth of Apple iTunes vouchers straight away.
When he tried to purchase more, his credit card flagged the transaction and blocked it.
That’s when things started to unravel.
The Realisation Hits Hard
Something felt off. Mike tapped on the email address to double-check and suddenly realised—it wasn’t Tim Allan’s email at all.
He immediately contacted Tim, who confirmed he hadn’t asked for anything of the sort. Mike had been scammed.
While he was eventually able to get his money back, the experience left a deeper mark than just a financial inconvenience.
Sharing the ordeal on LinkedIn, he wrote: “The part that stings is the sense of shame.
The stomach-punch to your self-worth. The voice in your head saying, ‘You absolute mug, Mike. How did you fall for it?’”
Not Just a Financial Loss – It Feels Deeply Personal
Mike reflected that scams don’t just exploit ignorance—they exploit moments of stress, pressure, and trust. He wasn’t being naive.
He was being human. The fraudster knew exactly when and how to strike.
“The irony isn’t lost on me,” he said. “I’m the guy who calls out clueless candidates on national TV. But this isn’t about stupidity. It’s about timing.
That’s why victims don’t talk about it—it feels personal, like a hit to your identity, not just your wallet.”
From Smash Hits to Shortlist to The Apprentice
Born in Dundee, Mike Soutar has had an impressive media career.
At just 23, he became editor of Smash Hits magazine.
He’s also served as managing director of Kiss FM and co-founded Shortlist Media.
More recently, he was appointed to the UK Government’s Board of Trade to help promote British business abroad.
And of course, fans know him best from The Apprentice, where he’s been grilling final candidates with tough questions since 2011.
A Bigger Problem Than Most Realise
Mike’s story comes at a time when scams like this are surging—especially in Scotland.
New figures show that over the past year alone, victims in Scotland lost more than £860,000 to cyber fraud.
The number of reported cases has jumped by more than 1,000 percent in just a few years—from under 100 in 2021-22 to over 1,100 in 2024-25.
Charity Advice Direct Scotland has even described the explosion in online fraud as a “scamdemic”.
Speaking Up to Help Others
What makes Mike’s story stand out isn’t just that it happened to someone well-known. It’s that he chose to speak up.
And by doing so, he hopes to help remove the stigma around being scammed.
“Fraud can happen to anyone,” he said. “Even me. Even you.”