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Football fan warns of cup final ticket scam

Andy Watson
BBC Radio Newcastle
BBC Reece Calvert stands in front of a football pitch holding up his mobile phone. The phone displays a photoshopped email which he was sent by a ticket scammer. BBC
Reece Calvert paid £295 for EFL Cup final tickets only to find they were fake

A Newcastle United fan is urging other supporters to be "careful" after being sold fake tickets to the EFL Cup final.

Reece Calvert, 31, was told on a WhatsApp group that someone was selling tickets for the club's 16 March Wembley clash with Liverpool.

Mr Calvert spent £295 on tickets for himself and his seven-year-old son but suspected it to be a scam after receiving emails which contained errors like the wrong date and seats.

"The most gutting thing about this is I've had to tell my son we're not going to Wembley," he said.

Mr Calvert, from Killingworth, North Tyneside, said he was "heartbroken" breaking the news to his son who "cried" after finding out the tickets were not real.

After writing to the seller, Mr Calvert did receive his money back but says other supporters are still waiting for refunds.

Email which was was sent to fans which has the club Wembley logo as it's masthead as well as other ticketing information.
Emails were sent to people who bought tickets including a photoshopped logo.

He said: "I originally thought it was [legitimate] but it was far from genuine.

"I don't want anyone else to go through this, a lot of people are angry, it's not just me, it's affected quite a lot of people."

Northumbria Police confirmed cases have been reported and they have been passed on to Action Fraud.

A spokesperson from Newcastle United said: "We would asks fans to only use the clubs official ticketing platform and encourage supporters to report any unauthorised selling."

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