Shameless scammers have posed as a children's charity to con Newcastle fans out of their hard earned cash ahead of the Carabao Cup final.
Newcastle United will play for the first time at the new Wembley stadium on Sunday February 26 against Manchester United as they aim to bring a first domestic trophy back to Tyneside since 1955. And fans are understandably desperate to get their hands on tickets to the Magpies' biggest game in years.
However, one fake Twitter account has attempted to capitalise on this by charging £800 for a pair of tickets, saying that a couple need the money to take care of their sick triplets. On closer inspection, the account was set up in February 2023 and there are a number of clear indicators that it is not affiliated with The Sick Children's Trust, a real charity based in London, who say they are "horrified" that scammers are using their name.
Read more: Newcastle fan fears he will miss Carabao Cup final despite travelling 400 miles for every home game
Gary Tear, a civil aviation officer and Newcastle fan from Eastleigh, spotted the fake account when trawling Twitter for tickets. He declared it "absolutely disgusting" that scammers are abusing the name of a children's charity, saying: "I was looking for a ticket late last night but I'm resigned to the fact I won't be going.
"I'm pretty IT savvy but someone could fall for it who's desperate for a ticket and lose their money. And it's not good for the charity either, if people are using it's name for this it's absolutely disgusting to be honest."
The 42-year-old, who went to St. Mary's for the first leg of the semi final, said that he'd seen Twitter scams before for match tickets, but it's the first time he's seen anyone impersonating a charity. He continued: "There are different scams all over Twitter, sometimes you'll get people asking you to DM them, but it's gone too far this time.
"Keep your money in your pocket and enjoy the match wherever you watch it, don't lose your money to these people. It won't be Geordies doing it and I don't think scammers should use our proud club to blacken the name of a genuine charity."
After seeing the tweets late on Tuesday night, Gary contacted the Sick Children's Trust, who were unaware of the fake account as they had been blocked immediately. They have since issued a warning to their followers on the social networking site, asking people not to engage with the fake account.
A spokesperson from the Sick Children's Trust said: "The Sick Children’s Trust is deeply alarmed that our charity is being impersonated on Twitter. We are horrified that the stories and images of real families, who were supported by us at the most difficult times of their lives, are being used to deceive for financial gain.
"We are doing everything in our power to get this Twitter page shut down and sincerely hope that nobody has been exploited by this attempted deception. We are deeply concerned about this situation and have reported it to the appropriate authorities."
ChronicleLive engaged with and reported the fake Twitter account before being blocked but at the time of writing, the account is still active. Northumbria Police have been contacted for comment.
The Chronicle is producing a Newcastle United at Wembley souvenir magazine as a special keepsake for supporters ahead of the final on Sunday February 26. You can pre-order your copy here and get it delivered straight to your door, alternatively it will be out to buy on February 16 from local shops and newsagents.
Have you ever fallen victim to an online scam? Let us know!
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