Liverpool fans on Facebook help scam-hit Singapore couple get tickets

When a Singaporean couple visited Britain to fulfil their lifelong dream of catching their beloved Liverpool in action earlier this week, little did they know that it would almost become a nightmare.

Through Facebook, Muhammad Syahril, 33, and his wife Nurazila Suparman, 34, got to know a man in England who sold them two tickets for the home match against West Ham United on Tuesday morning (Singapore time) for £400 (S$720).

Tickets available from official channels had been sold out, so the couple turned to Facebook groups. But the tickets they purchased, which looked real, turned out to be fake.

There were no serial numbers and the couple also later realised that on the sides of the ticket, the English Premier League leaders were misspelt as "Liverpoool".

But, after relating their plight on a Liverpool supporters' Facebook group, they received a pleasant surprise.

Thanks to a crowdfunding campaign started by Kevin Doran, one of the group's members, the couple managed to get genuine tickets to the Anfield match, which Liverpool won 3-2.

The couple shared their experience on Facebook yesterday, so that they could warn others.

Nurazila, a risk and compliance officer, told The New Paper: "Kevin messaged us and said true Liverpool fans are not scammers and that he would try to get us tickets.

"When we saw the (crowdfunding) page, we were so shocked. We had already given up on watching the match.

"It was such an incredible experience and we are so grateful to Kevin and the other Liverpool fans who reached out to us.

"Literally, it was the club's motto in action - You'll never walk alone. We really felt the love."

Thanks to their kindness, the trip that she and her husband, an aviation firefighter, had planned last December turned out well despite the awry start.

That month, via Facebook, they were contacted by a seller who purported to have two tickets for the Liverpool-West Ham game.

They proceeded to ask for his phone number and to meet up for the transaction, which took place soon after they arrived in England last Saturday.

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Nurazila said: "He showed us the tickets and explained that our seats would be at the Kop Grandstand, 12 rows behind the goal posts. My husband looked at the tickets and seemed satisfied.

"I took a quick glance at the tickets and saw that the details were in order, like the date of the match, the season-ticket holders' names et cetera.

"We paid him the money and he shook our hands and told us to enjoy the match."

But, by the time the jet-lagged couple spotted the tell-tale signs - the fine print read "Liverpoool v West Ham" - the seller had long left.

Upon checking Anfield's seating plan online, the couple realised they had been duped into buying counterfeit tickets.

There were no serial numbers on their tickets and the seating area stated block 201 on the Kop Grandstand, but the seating plan revealed blocks in that row started only from 202.

Syahril then put up photos of the bogus tickets on a Facebook group that he felt was genuine - Liverpool FC Social Supporters Club - and its members confirmed that the tickets were fake.

Said Nurazila: "We were heartbroken and disappointed. I cried not because of how much money we had wasted, but the fact that this trip was now for nothing.

"One moment we thought we were finally going to realise a dream and then suddenly it was such a nightmare."

Resigned to their fate, the couple went to bed early. But the next morning, something unexpected happened.

Doran had set up a crowdfunding campaign to get the couple tickets for the Hammers match. Overnight, a three-figure sum was raised.

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Through WhatsApp, Doran sent the couple two e-tickets, which even gave them access to a premium lounge before the match.

In a reply to the couple's Facebook post, where they thanked their new friends whom they have never met, Doran wrote: "Thank you very much for your kind words. I may have helped pull it together but it was a collective effort, that's for sure... we just wanted to show you some of us do care."

Having narrowly escaped an ordeal, the couple have taken to monitoring the Facebook group they had initially purchased their tickets from to warn others.

A notice on Liverpool's website posted last April stated that an average of 80 to 100 forged tickets are seized per game, and urged fans to be wary of fraudulent tickets and to refrain from buying from unofficial sources.

Offering advice for potential buyers, Nurazila said: "When you contact the seller, ensure that his social media account has pictures of himself.

"Try to join a genuine supporters' group and check with the locals about what is the best avenue (to get tickets). And take your time when you meet the seller, don't rush. Check the ticket properly."

"Literally, it was the club's motto in action - You'll never walk alone. We really felt the love."

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HOW TO SPOT FAKE LIVERPOOL MATCH TICKETS

An average of 80 to 100 forged tickets are seized per game, according to Liverpool's website.

The club urge supporters to buy tickets from official channels to avoid being scammed.

The club website listed the following ways to ascertain if your ticket is authentic.

• Perforation: There will always be a perforated line on the ticket, which if torn, will separate the ticket into two pieces.
• Liver bird hologram: Genuine Liverpool English Premier League match tickets will always include the official silver Liver bird hologram on the perforated line.
• Embossed Liver bird: Tickets feature a Liver bird with "YNWA" across it into the bottom left corner. You should be able to run your finger over the ticket and feel its indentation.
• Serial numbers: On the back of the ticket, there will also be two matching serial numbers, one on the perforated section and the other on the main ticket.

This article was first published in The New Paper. Permission required for reproduction.