
Fraud probe launched after 'woman scams dozens out of Oasis tickets'
The Gallagher brothers made their highly anticipated return to Scotland with three sold-out shows at Murrayfield on Friday, Saturday, and Tuesday.
Around 70,000 fans were at Murrayfield each night to see the Manchester band perform classics such as Don't Look Back in Anger and Slide Away.
However, police are investigating allegations that a woman in East Lothian failed to deliver gold-dust tickets promised to around 60 desperate fans, after many people claiming to be victims of the scam came together through a social media post.
Official government data in June showed £1.6m was lost to fraud involving gig tickets last year – more than double the previous year's figure – and Oasis's high-profile reunion tour has been widely used to lure victims.
Earlier this year, Lloyds Banking Group said more than 1,000 customers had fallen for scams linked to the Manchester band's eagerly anticipated UK concerts.
Among them was Lori Cairney, from Edinburgh, who said her daughters were left 'devastated' after she decided to surprise them with tickets,
She sent a woman in the area £500 for the tickets – only for them to never arrive.
'The woman had on her Snapchat story in mid-July that she had Oasis tickets for sale', she said. 'My partner and I kept asking, as we decided to surprise our daughters.
'We bought them T-shirts, etc, and they were both very excited. Two days before, I asked the woman why people were on social media saying she scammed them.
'She promised me she wouldn't do that and guarantee I would have the tickets by Friday. Saturday came. No tickets. My daughter is devastated.'
Lara McEnaney also purchased tickets from the same woman for £340, but she did not hear from her on the day of the gig.
'I bought tickets on July 14, two standing tickets which cost £340,' she said.
'Before sending the money, I asked if she could quickly FaceTime for two minutes just so I could see her face matched up with her profile, which it did. She asked me if I could do it through PayPal which thankfully I did.
'She seemed really genuine, and I thought no way would this lady scam me because I could see her business account, etc, on Facebook.
'I messaged her August 6 asking about the tickets, and she sent me a pic of her leg on a hospital bed…she told me she was in the hospital and that her husband would transfer over the tickets later that night.
'I kept checking my emails, absolutely nothing I then messaged her the next morning, she told me she was having a procedure and she had a friend who worked at Ticketmaster who was going to help push through the transfer.
'On the day of Oasis, she never messaged me for a while. She then messaged me around 12.30pm to say she had been dealing with police because a woman was slamming her on Facebook and sending death threats.
'I then searched her name on Facebook and saw the post. I then confronted her, and she asked me how she could scam me because I had paid through PayPal, and there were plenty of tickets left on Viagogo.
Lara said she is claiming a refund through PayPal, and even managed to get last-minute tickets through the resale platform.
'I was absolutely gutted however, I went on Viagogo and managed to get restricted view tickets which cost me £450,' she added. 'There was a lovely steward who I spoke to and she actually let us in the gold circle.
'Our day went from bad to good as we were so close to the stage. However, many people never got to see Oasis due to her actions.'
Police Scotland has confirmed a fraud investigation was launched into the complaints and is in its 'early stages'.
A spokesperson said: 'On Saturday, August 9, 2025 we received a report of fraud in the Edinburgh area.
'Enquiries are at an early stage.'
Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News
Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mail
27 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Doorbell cam catches moment trusting elderly widow is ruthlessly scammed out of her savings
An elderly widow from North Carolina fell for a heartless scam and lost her life savings. The woman, who wishes to stay anonymous, was scammed out of over $17,000. Heartbreaking footage from her doorbell camera shows the moment she innocently and unknowingly handed over a huge amount of cash to a scammer. She's not the only person who has fallen victim to this large-scale scam operation. It all began when she tried to log in to her bank account, but found that she couldn't access any accounts. She called a number in her contacts she had saved as the bank. The representative on the line explained that her accounts had been frozen because of a suspicious PayPal charge the day before. Then, she was transferred to what she believed to be the PayPal fraud department. After hanging up because the call quality was bad, the lady redialed the number and was told that she had to pay an $82 charge that would be refunded - but first she had to follow the caller's instructions, which included downloading things on her computer. 'I typed $82.00, and I immediately looked up to the screen and it says, $18,000, and then it goes, accept, accept, accept, just like that.' She said she was panicking and said to the man walking her through, 'That's not what I typed in, that's a mistake.' What she didn't know at the time was that the man had manipulated her into giving him access to her computer and that he had transferred $18,000 from her savings to her checking account. She was hesitant to follow his instructions to go to the bank and retrieve the cash until a letter marked with Bank of America's official logo came out of her printer, stating that there was a serious matter concerning her account. The letter told her there had been tax issues, that her online transfers had been blocked by the IRS and that she must refrain from discussing the transaction. Her caller ID shows that the call with this person lasted over four hours. She adds, 'He kept saying, don't hang up on me.' The woman drove to the bank and withdrew $17,5000, as the man told her she could keep the extra $500 'for her troubles'. When she withdrew the cash, the bank manager approached her to ask, 'Before we proceed, are you being harassed?' She told the bank manager she was not being pressured, as she was entirely unaware that she was being scammed. She even signed a document saying she was taking this money out under her own free will. Upon arriving home with the cash, another notice appeared from her printer thanking her for 'returning' the money to PayPal, and notifying her that 'Mr. Jack' would be there shortly to collect the cash. This is when her doorbell camera caught footage of a man arriving at her house to pick up the cash, which she handed over. Thinking the day's drama was over, she called her daughters to tell them about the ordeal. 'Mom, you've been scammed,' her daughter responded.' The lady called the police to report what had happened and learned that she was not the only victim. She saw the mugshot of Linghui Zheng and immediately recognized him as the same man who came to her door to collect the money. Upon arriving home with the cash, another notice appeared from her printer thanking her for 'returning' the money to PayPal, and notifying her that 'Mr. Jack' would be there shortly to collect the cash Zheng is charged with obtaining property under false pretenses in her case, and he, along with another suspect, is also facing charges in Person, Durham, and Granville counties of obtaining property under false pretenses, accessing computers and felony conspiracy. The total amount of money scammed by Zheng and his accomplice is thought to be close to $400,000, according to the sheriff, who says they're currently working with NC SBI and the Department of Homeland Security to identify more victims and suspects. The Orange County victim says, 'It never occurred to me that there was going to be an evil person come into my life.' Her financial loss is especially devastating because a big portion of the money gone is from an insurance policy to pay her medical bills when she had cancer last year. She adds, 'What I want people to know is, you know, if just because you're tired that they don't let you, don't let your defenses down.' Investigators told her that she will likely not get her money back, as much of it was already gone by the time the suspects were arrested.

Rhyl Journal
2 hours ago
- Rhyl Journal
Israeli minister confronts long-imprisoned Palestinian leader face to face
Marwan Barghouti is serving five life sentences after being convicted of involvement in attacks at the height of the Palestinian uprising, or intifada, in the early 2000s. Polls consistently show he is the most popular Palestinian leader. He has rarely been seen since his arrest more than two decades ago. It was unclear when the video was taken, but it shows national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, known for staging provocative encounters with Palestinians, telling Barghouti that he will 'not win'. 'Anyone who messes with the people of Israel, anyone who murders our children, anyone who murders our women, we will wipe them out,' Mr Ben-Gvir said in the video. He repeated those words in a post on X in which he shared the footage. Mr Ben-Gvir's spokesman confirmed the visit and the video's authenticity, but denied that the minister was threatening Barghouti. Barghouti, now in his mid-60s, was a senior leader in President Mahmoud Abbas's secular Fatah movement during the intifada. Many Palestinians see him as a natural successor to the ageing and unpopular leader of the Palestinian Authority, which administers parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Israel considers him a terrorist and has shown no sign it would release him. Hamas has demanded his release in exchange for hostages taken in the October 7 2023 attack that triggered the war in the Gaza Strip. In a Facebook post, Barghouti's wife said she could not recognise her husband, who appeared frail in the video. Still, she said after watching the video, he remained connected to the Palestinian people. 'Perhaps a part of me does not want to acknowledge everything that your face and body shows, and what you and the prisoners have been through,' wrote Fadwa Al Barghouthi, who spells their last name differently in English. Israeli officials say they have reduced the conditions under which Palestinians are held to the bare minimum allowed under Israeli and international law. Many detainees released as part of a ceasefire in Gaza earlier this year appeared gaunt and ill, and some were taken for immediate medical treatment.

Rhyl Journal
2 hours ago
- Rhyl Journal
Hit-and-run driver locked up for 13 years over death of baby
Renju Joseph, 31, was struck by a car driven at high speed by Ashir Shahid, 20, as she walked on a zebra crossing in the village of Bamber Bridge, near Preston, Lancashire. The Toyota Prius was estimated to be travelling at between 58mph and 71mph at the time, in dark, wet conditions, in a 30mph zone, Preston Crown Court heard. Mrs Joseph was taken to hospital from the scene in Station Road in the early evening of September 29, and an emergency C-section was carried out in an attempt to save the life of her son, Olive. She was walking slightly behind two female colleagues on the crossing at about 7.50pm as they headed to work a night shift at a local care home. A motorist travelling in the opposite direction said the Prius driver seemed to increase speed about 15 metres away from the crossing and then swerved from the two pedestrians in front. The pregnant woman was hit and 'thrown into the air for quite some distance' before she tumbled and rolled into his car, said the witness. Prosecutors said the driving of Shahid before the collision also 'left a lot to be desired'. Video clips recovered from his mobile phone and that of his front seat passenger, younger brother Sam Shahid, 17, showed them laughing and singing to music as the car is driven erratically and at speed. Sam Shahid was also seen to put his feet and upper body out of the window while the driver removes both hands from the wheel at times and makes gun gestures. Minutes after the collision the Toyota was abandoned in a side street and covered with a sheet by the defendants, before others moved the vehicle on to the back of flatbed truck and dumped it in Farnworth, Greater Manchester. Ashir Shahid was arrested days later and made no comment when interviewed, but when his phone was examined it revealed that on the night of the collision he made an online search for 'charge for hit and run human'. A video clip on his Snapchat account also showed him singing along to the Shaggy song It Wasn't Me and laughing. Voice note recordings were also discovered of Sam Shahid rapping: 'Ran that bitch over, baby got packed. She still not woke up, she still asleep.' Ashir Shahid, of Windsor Road, Walton le Dale, Preston, pleaded guilty in June to causing death and serious injury by dangerous driving. On Friday, he was also banned from driving for 15 years and one month, and must pass an extended retest. Sam Shahid, also of Windsor Road, was detained for three years after he pleaded guilty to assisting an offender. Sentencing, Judge Ian Unsworth KC said Ashir Shahid's acceleration in the moments before the crash was 'akin to what you may see on a Formula 1 race track'. He said: 'Your driving was nothing less than appalling. You engaged in a prolonged and persistent course of dangerous driving. 'Your speed was significantly in excess of the speed limit and was highly inappropriate for the prevailing road conditions. 'Olive's life lasted five hours and 38 minutes. He did not live to see dawn. His mother never saw him alive. 'His life was snubbed out before it really began.' Mrs Joseph spent a fortnight in a coma before she learned of the death of her son, the court heard. She and her nurse husband, Nyjil Jonn, had planned a gender reveal party at a baby shower for family and friends on October 2. One of her last memories before the collision was buying a dress to wear for the occasion, she said in a victim personal statement read out to the court. Mrs Joseph said: 'Everything has been ruined by that one night and the callous and reckless actions of those two people in that car. My life will never by the same again. 'I will never get to meet my baby, be a mummy to him or watch him grow up. They have taken my first child away from me and I will never get him back.' Mr Joseph said it was 'incomprehensible' to see their son placed on the lap of his unconscious wife as she fought for her life. He said he was scared for the future of the couple, both originally from India, and the possible long-term impact on his wife. Mrs Joseph suffered life-changing injuries including a bleed to the brain, a cracked spinal cord and fractures to her pelvis, ribs and leg. She has had to learn to walk again but struggles to stand for long periods of time, the court heard. Jonathan Duffy, defending Ashir Shahid, who has no previous convictions, said: 'Of course he knew that he had struck a pedestrian but didn't know at the time how seriously injured Mrs Joseph was. 'He deeply regrets his behaviour immediately after the offence, All he can say is that he panicked and was in shock.' Shahid had expressed feelings of shame, guilt and remorse in a letter to the court, he said. Fellow defence barrister Jennifer Devans-Tamakloe, said Sam Shahid explained to her that rapping about something as serious as these events 'makes it easier for him to cope with, as odd as that sounds'. She said: 'While Sam clearly has difficulties of his own, he has ambitions. He says he wants to join the Army.' Sam Shahid had six prior convictions for 13 offences including burglary and vehicle theft, the court was told. Judge Unsworth told the defendants: 'You seemingly have no moral compass. Throughout these proceedings you have sat with your heads down as if in shame. You have no shame.' He noted how they both 'disappeared into the night like cowards' following the collision and then shortly after acted with 'breathtaking coolness' as they began a cover-up operation. He told them they had 'not shown a care in the world for anyone and anything around you' as they careered through residential streets at dangerously high speeds. Judge Unsworth said: 'Your arrogant, selfish and shameless actions put multiple people at risk including yourselves. 'Neither of you have a shred of remorse for your involvement that evening.' He told Sam Shahid: 'You sang utterly vile rap songs in which you glorified the events of that evening and speak in utterly despicable ways of Renju and her dead son Olive. It defies belief. 'You have an ingrained criminality and are someone who at the age of 17 seems to revel in and take pleasure from it.' Following sentence, the Josephs' lawyer, Cathy Leach – of JMW Solicitors, said: 'The enormity of the tragic effects of the accident and the injuries sustained, are something Renju and Nyjil will live with daily. 'Their lives will never be the same. They wish to retain their privacy but have specifically asked us, as their lawyers, to pass on their thanks be passed on to the many people who have been magnificent in their response to the tragedy. 'They specially want to mention the other road users and people who were witnesses to the terrible accident who took the trouble gave evidence to the police and the court.' Det Chief Insp Andy Fallows, of Lancashire Constabulary's major investigation team, said: 'My thoughts first and foremost today are with Renju and family. They have been through the most appalling ordeal and my heart goes out to them. 'They have shown the most incredible dignity and courage since this tragic collision and throughout these proceedings. 'In contrast Ashir Shahid and his co-defendant have shown nothing but arrogance and a lack of remorse for what they have done.'