John Rentoul: Like a duh-brain I clicked on the link ...

It all started with Harriet Harman. It was an unexpected pleasure to receive a direct message from her through Twitter on Wednesday morning. This you? it asked. A bit odd, I thought. A bit abrupt. Not her style at all. And like a duh-brain I clicked on the link, even though I'm reasonably computer literate and scoff at people who fall for phishing emails from banks.

The Twitter log-in must have looked convincing enough as I don't even remember typing in my password. Next thing I knew I was receiving direct messages from people on Twitter saying that they couldn't open the link I'd sent them. Which, of course, I hadn't.

It got worse yesterday, when Tom Harris, a Labour MP I like and who is therefore unsuitable to serve in Gordon Brown's Government, said that I had sent him a message telling him I was 24, female and, well, you get the picture. I knew my true identity would be revealed eventually. It is embarrassing enough being on something called Twitter in the first place, but being exposed as a sucker is too much. Anyway, I've changed my password now, thank you.

John Rentoul is chief political commentator for The Independent on Sunday.

You can follow him on www.twitter.com/johnrentoul