Scotland fan Callum Cunningham was scammed out of £750 after purchasing tickets on the resale site Gettickets365 for the World Cup match against Brazil. The tickets never arrived, leaving him devastated and forced to watch the game from a fanzone in Miami.
Scam Details
Cunningham, a diehard Scotland fan from Methil, spent £750 on two tickets to see Scotland play Carlo Ancelotti's Brazil side. Despite assurances from Gettickets365 that there was "no cause for concern regarding the legitimacy of your purchase," the tickets never materialized. He had already spent £8,000 on his trip to the US.
Previous Incidents
This is not an isolated case. The Record previously reported on a young Scotland fan who fell victim to a £900 ticket scam for the Haiti game. However, a kind-hearted Tartan Army member, John MacLean, stepped in and provided the youngster with a free ticket. MacLean, a Scot who has lived in the US for 16 years, had paid $1,200 (£893) for the ticket and offered it free of charge after hearing about the scam.
Greig McBride, a friend of the scammed youngster, thanked MacLean for his "act of kindness," saying: "John is Scottish but has been living in the United States for the past 16 years. When he heard that one of my little brother's friends, Jack, had been scammed out of a ticket for Scotland vs Haiti at the World Cup, he stepped in and did something incredible. Without hesitation, John gave away the ticket — which he paid $1,200 for — so that a young Scotland fan wouldn't miss out on a once-in-a-lifetime experience."
Call for Action
Cunningham has called on FIFA, which is set to make £2.5 billion from ticketing and hospitality during the World Cup, to crack down on scammers. The Tartan Army has descended in thousands on Miami for the crunch match, but some fans are left stranded outside the stadium after falling prey to ticket scams.
