A popular Facebook page for Armagh GAA fans has warned of ticket scams ahead of the upcoming Ulster Championship Final game after being offered three spaces at the ‘Sir Alex Ferguson Stand’.
The page – known as Armagh Fans 1889 – issued the warning this morning (May 14) alongside screenshots of a conversation with an apparently fake profile attempting to con them into purchasing tickets.
Armagh Fans 1889 has been busily keeping fans abreast of the troublesome ticketing situation ahead of Sunday’s showdown between Armagh and Monaghan in Clones.
Tickets have been like ‘hen’s teeth’ for fans. And as such, desperation to attend the game in person has been growing, making eager fans easy pickings for nefarious scalpers and scammers.
Noticing a comment under one of their recent posts from a profile displaying only the first name of ‘Sarah’ which read “Omg, I have two (possibly three) extra tickets if anyone’s interested. The people I got them for might not be able to make it, so let me know if you’re interested please”.
The admin for the page – not one to be easily fooled – wittily replied: “That’s brilliant Sarah. Are they for the Sir Alex Ferguson stand or the KOP? Doesn’t matter anyway, I’ll take them!”
The conversation then moved off to private message between the two parties. However, the dynamic had shifted. One was being conned… but it wasn’t the initial mark!
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Sarah asked: “How many tickets are you looking for?”
Again, the admin said: “What stand are your tickets in?”
Having successfully taken the bait, ‘Sarah’ replied: “Sir Alex Ferguson stand tickets. How many are you looking for?”
“That’s amazing,” said the mischievous admin before checking they were definitely for the Armagh v Monaghan game.
Once the con artist confirmed they were for the Ulster Final, they asked what budget was available.
Said Armagh Fans 1889: “Watching the Armagh from the Sir Alex Ferguson stand will be a surreal experience. Great views of the Clones pitch.
“I know the tickets are going for around £1,000 each but I only have £2,600 though,” they jibed.
Decent money to a scammer. They didn’t hesitate and bit through the bait and straight into the hook.
Sarah then requested a bank transfer but cheekily stated, “to make sure nobody gets scammed send half of the payment now”, she would then send the tickets and request the remaining half.
The account for transfer was in the name of a Mr Muhammed Musa… she said it was her brother.
We won’t publish the ending to the tale – as a few choice words were used when seeing off the scammer!
Nonetheless, it’s a clear message to fans desperate for any remaining tickets. Buy from reputable sources only, do not pay over and above the standard price, meet in person to conduct your business and do all your due diligence.
Not everyone will get to Clones on the day, but one thing is for sure… the atmosphere in Armagh will be amazing!
Enjoy and good luck to Armagh GAA.
