Most of our customers now pay for everything with a credit card. 

Usually these transactions go through very quickly and I would rather pay the low Retra-organised commission than take a chance on a cheque or wads of notes.

Last week I almost lost £700 to a credit card scam artist.

It was snowing and there were no customers venturing outside. I received a telephone call from a man with a Cockney accent who said he was based in London. 

He said, “My son is at Aberdeen University. He has spilt beer all over his computer and he needs me to buy him a new one. Tell me the best model I can get for around £700.”

The prospect of a sale immediately brightened up my quiet morning and I ran through the features of several models. The caller eventually settled on a Toshiba notebook.

Then he said: “My lad is in the middle of a big project on philosophy and he needs a computer right away. Can you have it ready for him to pick up this afternoon?”

I confirmed that we could. The whole transaction took about five minutes. 

I felt pretty good at getting such an easy sale, but Neil, my business partner, was very suspicious, adding: “Why did he come to us and not go to PC World?”

Sure enough, the more I thought about it, this sale was too easy. 

The customer did not ask for a discount and did not haggle over the price.  Neil and I decided to wait, but had a computer ready should everything prove to be legitimate.

Within an hour of his ‘dad’ making the call, in came a lad who looked about 20 and spoke with a strong Glasgow accent. 

He was in a rush as he had to get some work finished for Aberdeen University.  He produced a card that he held on to when I said the notebook was just being boxed up - it would be ready in a few minutes. 

He didn’t seem at all nervous and I laughed and said that I too had studied philosophy, but that was a long time ago. 

I politely asked, “Do you still have to read up on all that stuff about the Ancient Roman philosophers like Plato and Socrates?” 

“Oh yes”, said my customer, taking the bait. “That is what I am doing right now.”

He realised he had made a mistake when I said; “You need to study harder- Plato and Socrates were Greeks.”

And with that, he ran out of the shop and slipped head over heels in the snow.  I did not help him up. 

I must re-read the Scottish philosopher David Hume’s essays on scepticism.