Belgian Bank Uses Unusual Technique To Keep Customers Vigilant

Most people are very sceptical when it comes to fortune tellers and mindreaders. Some people think they make stuff up, or are just plain crazy. But Belgian bank Febelfin has everyone fooled in its new, slightly unusual advert.

The commercial opens by declaring that 'random people' were picked to take part in a 'mindread'. They were told it was for an upcoming TV show.

Enter the mindreader, a bit of a stereotype in his white outfit and long, straggly, grey hair. He uses 'typical' mindreader techniques like hugging the client, dancing around the client, and placing his hands on the client's head. Then, after this build-up, he begins to disclose extremely personal information about the innocent participants' lives. 

We see the astonished reactions of the unwitting victims, who become more and more astonished with every revelation. They hang on his every word, as he asks how torn muscles are getting on, reveals the colour of their houses, their best friends' names and more. Not to mention, asking if he can see their otherwise hidden tattoos and telling them that their love life is 'interesting'.

Finally, once the dupe has entered into a state of shock, a curtain falls down and unveils a large screen and men in balaclavas working on computers. The screen has pictures of the victim, and other snapshots of personal details. The message behind the prank? 'Your entire life is online. Be vigilant'. 

It is an entertaining ad, but also serious in the way that it makes you think twice about what information you put online. A fine balance.

The clip has had 1,180,896 views and a massive 169,222 shares since it was released just two days ago. They are certainly spreading the word. I just hope this doesn't scare everyone off YouTube, or else what am I going to write about tomorrow?