Two of our region’s football teams are visiting Wembley Stadium this weekend in two separate EFL play-off finals…and we don’t want fans to become a victim of ticket fraud.

For Nottingham Forest and Mansfield Town supporters, next weekend is huge. First up, on Saturday, Mansfield Town take on Port Vale in the League Two play-off final for a chance to be promoted to League One.

Then, on Sunday, Nottingham Forest are bidding to end a 23-year long Premier League exile when they take on Huddersfield Town in the Championship play-off final. Both games will be played at Wembley Stadium.

Tickets are on sale for both matches now from the club’s respective websites and ticket offices, and the chatter on Twitter, particularly from Forest supporters who, respectfully, have the larger fanbase of the two clubs, centres around concerns that due to the phased criteria the club have adopted to make it fair to supporters wishing to attend, they may struggle to get a ticket for the game, the club’s first ever play-off final.

For example, today (Monday, May 23), supporters must have a purchase history of three tickets to three separate Forest home games this season before they can apply. Tomorrow that criteria will change to one game.

But supporters who haven’t been able to attend any matches this season for whatever reason, and who are wanting to attend Wembley, should not be tempted by ticket offers that appear too good to be true…because it usually is a case of being too good to be true.

There has also been rumblings of concerns from supporters not being able to sit with friends or family due to them having to use different methods of purchasing tickets. Forest fans are limited to one ticket per client reference number; Stags supporters are limited to nine tickets per person, and anyone wishing to buy ten or more needs to visit the club to fill out a special form.

People may be tempted to bypass official channels and look for sales online because it’s ‘easier’ in some cases. But again, we urge caution.

This week, social media will be awash with fans clambering to get tickets, with the #NFFC and #MTFC timelines on Twitter - a platform used heavily by supporters - potentially flooded with accounts claiming to have spares for sale from various avenues.

It’s likely that Facebook too will be busy with fake accounts or pages, seeking to capitalise on fans’ desperation to attend these showcase games.

What to look out for and advice on staying scam free...

Here are a few things to look out for when buying from an unofficial source. Please be vigilant and check the below before buying.

• Check their previous tweets and/or profile. If they have lots of previous posts selling tickets but no posts relating to either club, the account could belong to a ticket scammer
• Fans are being asked to print tickets at home or scan the email from the club at Wembley. Therefore, ask the seller to show the email confirmation from the club. If they can’t or won’t show it, do not part with any money.
• Likewise, get as many details of the ticket as possible; block, seat number, category etc. If they have a ticket, these should be easy questions to answer. If they can’t or won’t answer, it should be looked upon as suspicious.
• Avoid paying for tickets by bank transfer, especially if buying from someone unknown. Credit card or payment services such as PayPal give you a better chance of recovering your money if you become a victim of fraud.
• Ask to meet and collect in person with cash payment wherever possible. If they refuse this or become edgy, it could be a scam.
• Away from social media, be wary of unsolicited emails, texts or adverts offering unbelievably good deals on tickets.

Scams or fraud can be reported to Action Fraud online or by calling 0300 123 2040.

We wish both The Stags and Forest all the best!

Reporting

Report all Fraud and Cybercrime to Action Fraud by calling 0300 123 2040 or online. Forward suspicious emails to report@phishing.gov.uk. Report SMS scams by forwarding the original message to 7726 (spells SPAM on the keypad).