Fans warned over scam email offering hospitality tickets for All-Ireland final

Gaelic football fans have been warned to avoid an email scam in which fraudsters attempt to steal thousands of euro by selling fake suite tickets to next month’s All-Ireland final.

The scam was brought to the Association’s attention by the Irish Examiner, which has seen copies of the emails in question.

A first email - purportedly from a London-based hospitality company - informs the recipient that it has “availability in Suite 684 for the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Final at Croke Park on Sunday 1st September 2019”.

It continues to claim the level six suite can hold 18 guests, “with full catering included”.

“We can offer this suite for just €3,490,” the scammers claim, and the email includes a doctored booking form.

A second follow-up email warns recipients of a “last chance” to book the suite - at a reduced price of €2,500.

The Irish Examiner sent copies of the first email to the GAA and gardai, and the former subsequently warned supporters of the scam.

“The Association is advising members and supporters to disregard these communications as the offering is completely false,” the GAA said in a statement.

“Croke Park does not use any third party providers for hospitality offerings and all suites are in long term contracts. All hospitality for Sunday is fully booked.

“The GAA also reminds members and supporters to purchase match tickets from official sources only,” it said.

The perpetrators of the scam are operating under the name ‘UBM (Sleep and Eat) Ltd’ - which bears a similarity to a legitimate business operating in London.

Sleep & Eat 2019 is a hospitality exhibition taking place in the UK later this year, and on its website, event organisers Informa Markets has issued a warning about the company name being used by fraudsters.

“Informa Markets is continually working to reduce the risk to our customers of fraudulent activity,” the website warns.

“As such, we wanted to draw your attention to a third party company operating under the name of ‘UBM (Sleep & Eat) Ltd’, which is targeting current and potential exhibitors by falsely purporting to sell discounted stands into Sleep & Eat 2019. ‘UBM (Sleep & Eat) Ltd’ is not in any way affiliated with Informa Markets or the wider Informa Group,” it said.