Bastian Pastewka, the comedian and actor, recently described how he was tricked by what he called “the dumbest phishing email ever”. According to him, the scam was about his bank account. “I called the bank straight away to block my PIN numbers” he told the “Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung” (NOZ). “They wanted to discuss some obscure financial deal”.
When Pastewka pointed out the fake e‑mail to a customer‑service representative, she replied with a hint of sarcasm. “Herr Pastewka, were you fooled by a phishing email?” she asked. She then said she re‑checked the mail herself, “It looks pretty realistic”. “No, it doesn’t” she answered, and forwarded him a genuine email from his bank. “No difference”.
Pastewka also warned of other online pitfalls. For instance, a quick Google search of his own name can lead the internet’s humor to misinterpret it. When he typed “Bastian Pastewka” the top result read “Bastian Pastewka‑Schlaganfall” – a mock phrase implying he’d had a stroke. Clicking it revealed the truth: Pastewka has never suffered a stroke, which “reassures me a lot”. He added that one should not rely on Google to check one’s health status.
When asked about a common Google query-whether he and fellow comedian Anke Engelke have ever been a couple-Pastewka replied, “After our series ’Perfekt verpasst,’ you might think that, but we never were”. He noted that, as a child, he had been a fan of the ZDF children’s program “Puschel” but he never harbored romantic feelings for the show’s host, Anke Engelke. He humorously said he was infatuated with Puschel, the squirrel, but not with Anke, the presenter.
