United fans fear Facebook fraud over match tickets
NEWCASTLE United fans fear they have been conned for away tickets following allegations of Facebook fraud.
Several supporters on the page Toon Away Days page say they paid the face value of £30 and upwards for tickets for the upcoming Premier League clash at Manchester United on November 18.
After failing to deliver the tickets in person at the recent Burnley and Bournemouth matches as arranged, the seller is now accused of dodging calls and messages as well as refusing to pay fans their money back.
The Chronicle has contacted the seller, who has denied any claims of wrongdoing.
A fan from Gateshead, who does not wish to be named, said he paid £62 in a bank transfer for two tickets almost a month in advance of the Manchester United fixture.
The 37-year-old did not suspect he had fallen prey to a possible scam until he saw other fans post their suspicions on the page following the Bournemouth match on Saturday night.
He said: “I was meant to get the tickets at the Burnley match but was texted to say they have not arrived.
“They have done this to at least 25 people and are still denying it is a scam – it’s a load of lies.
“There’s nobody in the world that can get their hands on that many tickets for a Newcastle away game.
“I got a text in the morning to say it’s not a scam, but to me that’s a guilty plea.”
Kelly Nicholson, from Blyth, paid £80 for two tickets on behalf of her disabled daughter Lucy, and fears they have now been fleeced out of their money.
She said: “My daughter was really looking forward to it as it’s for her birthday, and we were due to spend the weekend at Manchester for a treat.”
Kelly said she last heard from the seller on Monday, when they claimed to be giving expectant fans their money back.
She added: “That’s a load of rubbish. Something needs to be done about them, getting people’s hopes up and leaving us having to pick up the pieces.”
Newcastle fan Dan Brown and two other friends say they paid £90 for three tickets for the match – only now to receive a message back saying their money has been ‘burnt.’
Dan said: “They told me I’m not getting a refund and that their going to burn my money - they’ve done this to about 20 fans.
“They’ve scammed me for the money and ignored my messages and calls.”
Newcastle United and Northumbria Police are both investigating several allegations of fraud.
Steve Storey, head of safety and security at the club, confirmed he has received a number of complaints about the seller.
He said: “I have referred the complaints to Northumbria Police who have told me they will investigate.
“Newcastle United will do everything we can to assist the police during their investigation and any subsequent criminal prosecution.”
A Northumbria Police spokesperson added: “The investigation is in its early stages. We are working closely with NUFC to identify the potential victims involved.
“Anyone who finds themselves a victim of such a crime is asked to contact Action Fraud on www.actionfraud.police.uk/report_fraud.
“Action Fraud collate the information and allocate incidents to the respective force.”
A Newcastle City Council spokesperson has advised supporters affected to contact Citizens Advice on 03454 040 506.
The seller claims he was acting as a middle man and denied scamming the supporters, and apologised for sending messages he ‘should not have’ in response to the accusations.
He said: “I get the bus to away games and half of the tickets I sold were to my friends.
“Why would I scam them? It would not make any sense and I would not be using my own name, my own bank details and phone number.
“If I was scamming, I would block everyone’s number and messages. This has been a nightmare situation for me.”