Nottinghamshire area clubs targeted by fraudsters.

Nottinghamshire area clubs targeted by fraudsters.

Matt Jarram.

Nottingham Post.

Wednesday, 17 January 2018.

PTG 2319-11718.

Fraudsters have been targeting cricket clubs in Nottinghamshire by pretending to be the chairman and demanding the release of funds.  Two clubs in the area have been targeted so far this year with the Nottinghamshire Cricket Board (NCB) claiming that the crime has the ability to cripple a club.  The board, which represents 146 clubs in the area, is now warning other clubs to be vigilant in order to avoid falling victim to the crime.

The two clubs that have been targeted have not been named, but the incidents happened on New Year’s Eve and in the following week.  On both occasions fraudsters have set up fake email accounts pretending to be the chairman of the club.  They have then contacted the treasurer asking for the release of funds to buy cricket equipment. The amount asked for is around £A2,000 ($A3,460).  On both occasions the treasurer has contacted the chairman by phone, where it was then discovered the email was fake.

Josh Scully, the NCB’s cricket development officer, said: "There has been attempts at a number of clubs in Nottinghamshire where they have been setting up email addresses in the names of club chairmen and then emailing the treasurer asking money to be transferred to their bank accounts.  "Both clubs have called the chairman and have cut it off before the money is transferred. The information about members of the club is easily available but it is important the information is easily available so we have been making clubs aware and asking them to be more vigilant.  It is a huge amount of money for a club to lose. If it hit the wrong club it could fold them”.

NCB said that this is a crime that has also affected other cricket clubs across the country and that the England and Wales Cricket Board are advising clubs to report such requests for money to the police.  

A spokeswoman for Nottinghamshire Police said: "Always check the email address from someone asking you for money, it will normally be a giveaway if fraudulent. Also, look out for strange spellings or formal language like 'Dear Sir.' Unfortunately, the people behind these scams are normally operating overseas, so once the money has been parted with, it’s difficult to get it back.  Please continue to be vigilant, and if you receive a fraudulent email or experience any other scam, report it right away so they can collate the information, follow it up or raise awareness”.