First, a confession. I’m that smug and condescending person that gloats to others about how I would never fall for an online scam.

I’ve sat through hundreds of online safety Compliance modules and pride myself on having a Sam Maguire level of cop on when it comes to being potentially swindled online.

It’s never happened to me. And I was cock sure it never would. Annoyingly sure.

That was until around 7pm on Saturday night.

While keeping one eye on the Galway v Dublin Leinster hurling final and simultaneously supervising two teenagers sitting State exams, I found myself scrolling through TikTok when something stopped me in my tracks.

An O’Neills GAA sale. And at first glance. A bloody brilliant O’Neills sale.

As the parent of two teens that practically live in O’Neills GAA gear, this felt like a genuine find. A golden opportunity to grab a few Dublin GAA bits ahead of our summer holiday.

Not to mention the chance to pick up some Meath GAA merchandise for a man who’s well past the age of sporting any GAA gear.

But a Meath jersey for €15. Where do I sign up?

Shorts for €5. How many would you like?

It sounds utterly daft in hindsight, and those reading this must be wondering what sort of eejit I am, but the website appeared completely legitimate and we’re all conditioned to these one-off ‘clearance sales’ from various brands.

Caught off guard and distracted by Galway’s demolition of the Dubs, I took the bait and handed over €63 of my hard-earned money to ‘purchase’ several items. My wife isn’t daft. She sensed something wasn’t right, and shortly after I’d clicked purchase, she voiced her suspicions that this seemed too good to be true.

‘Don’t worry,’ I reassured her in my finest Alan Partridge voice, ‘I’ve just got a confirmation email.’

That’s when reality hit me. Like an enormous Croke Park-sized coin crashing down on my skull.

You’ve been scammed. You absolute eejit!

The email address looked suspicious, the text was riddled with grammatical errors, and the amount I’d paid didn’t match what appeared on the receipt. This fool had been taken in.

Working in GAA photography and graphics, once I viewed the site on a desktop, it became glaringly obvious this was a fraudulent copycat website.

Fair play to the scammers, though. They’d earn an 8/10 in the match ratings. They’d made it appear incredibly convincing on mobile. I was even provided with a bogus tracking number.

To be honest, as my wife had pointed out, it was far too good to be true. But by then it was too late. The match was done. The final whistle had sounded. The scammers had lifted the silverware.

Credit to Revolut, they’re putting in serious effort to recover my funds. But rather like Meath’s prospects of capturing the All-Ireland title, the chances are slim.

I reached out to O’Neills to alert them that fraudsters were duplicating their website to flog non-existent goods, and they verified that they don’t run advertisements on TikTok. They said: “Based on the information provided, this does not appear to be a legitimate O’Neills purchase. We do not sell our products via TikTok or any other social media marketplaces. All official O’Neills products are sold through our official website and authorised retail locations.

“Unfortunately, fraudulent websites and advertisements can sometimes appear online offering heavily discounted products in order to mislead customers.”

Consider this a cautionary tale – even if you reckon you’re savvy enough to avoid it, falling victim to online scams can happen to anyone.

And when a deal looks suspiciously good, chances are it’s dodgy.

Penning this serves as both a cathartic exercise and a public service announcement to remain vigilant, as this bogus website continues to operate.

Or medium, as my phantom jersey was meant to be.

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Online figures such as Tommy Robinson provide “really easy narratives” that have helped to fuel disorder in Belfast, a researcher has said.

Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, continually posted on X during Tuesday night, commenting that “Belfast is burning with rage tonight” and “It’s happening. Unite”.

Dr Darja Wischerath, from the University of Bath’s Institute of Digital Security and Behaviour (IDSB), analysed the impact of Robinson’s public Telegram channel on rioting in the summer of 2024. In July and August of that year, widespread unrest and disorder was seen across the UK in response to the Southport murders.

The researchers found that Robinson used his Telegram channel to comment on ongoing events and legitimise violence during the anti-immigration protests and riots without ever giving direct instructions, allowing him to maintain plausible deniability.

Dr Wischerath told PA: “They establish this parasocial relationship with their audience, which already puts them in a position where they are kind of a really good authority on all of the things that are going on in the world and are already trusted more both cognitively and emotionally”.

The Fortune came to an end after four episodes on Channel 5, with its replacement next week confirmed.

The Fortune has come to an end on Channel 5 with a replacement airing in its slot next week.

Poldark actress Eleanor Tomlinson starred alongside Harry Potter actor Matthew Lewis in the gripping thriller.

It followed her character Amanda as a woman with a seemingly perfect life unravelling when she inherited a mysterious fortune.

The four-part programme came to an end on Wednesday, June 10, with Amanda discovering secrets behind the mystery as truths came to light.

The Fortune ending explained

Amanda was concerned with the disappearance of her mother Linda from her care home, while also dealing with her husband Jimmy disappearing.

Initially, she feared the worst, and confronted Sandy about secret meetings with Jimmy, only to find out that he only wanted Sandy to pressure Amanda to keep the money.

As she struggles to know what to do, and is warned not to contact the police, Amanda tries to find clues from the box of photographs she was sent.

She also gets a call from Fiona, who wants to take 50% of the money from Amanda, and cut out Anthony from the deal.

Amanda eventually manages to track down Jimmy’s last known location but while hoping to find him, is threatened by Anthony, who wants more of the money’s share.

Secrets continue to disrupt Anthony and Fiona’s relationship, as at their home, she finds a shirt full of blood, though he offers no explanation.

Amanda, on her way to find Jimmy, locates her mum in an old fishing hut that was pictured in one of the photos, but Linda isn’t alone.

She finds a stranger there, later confirmed to be Barry, with Linda revealing that Barry is actually Amanda’s dad, who she thought was dead for decades.

All along, Barry had wanted Amanda to keep the money for herself, explaining that the money had originally been his, but Martin had taken it for himself.

Martin had also asked Boots to kill Barry, but Barry had set up a trap and escaped, leaving Amanda thinking he was dead.

Barry also reveals he had asked Jimmy to help him, who returns, apologising to Amanda for keeping secrets.

Going to meet Anthony and Fiona at their estate, Amanda gets a call from their lawyer, who informs them that Anthony isn’t really Martin’s son.

Confronting them, Amanda tells the truth about the Worrall’s money, that it actually came from her dad.

Though Fiona had no idea of the truth, Anthony tries to hide behind lies and denies killing Boots, but Barry walks in, a ghost from the past.

In a moment of despair, Anthony threatens to shoot Fiona and Barry, before pointing the gun at himself.

The final scenes, after Linda’s heartbreaking death in the fishing hut, see Amanda return to Sandy’s to ask for her job back, and revealing she accepted the money, but let Fiona keep the house.

The Fortune’s replacement confirmed

The Fortune has been airing on Channel 5 for two weeks, on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Next week on Tuesday, June 16, after Reuben Owens: Life in the Dales slots at 8pm, Little Disasters airs at 9pm on Channel 5.

Its synopsis reads: “As the investigation continues, shocking discoveries are made. Cracks form in the Carrisford family as their friends become increasingly involved, and hidden secrets come to light.”

Then on Wednesday, at the same time, a repeat episode of Surgeons: A Matter of Life or Death will air, as per Freeview.

The Fortune is available to watch on Channel 5

The EU’s new Entry and Exit System (EES) was first introduced in October last year, before the rollout ramped up on April 10.

The new system requires British travellers, and other non-EU visitors, to provide biometric data, including fingerprints and facial scans, when entering the Schengen Area.

The new EES has received significant backlash since its introduction, with it causing long waits for passengers at airports.

Major airlines, including Jet2 and Ryanair, have called for the rollout of the new system to be suspended until after the summer to allow for a “smoother airport experience” during peak travel season.

CEO of Ryanair’s Malta subsidiary, Malta Air, David O’Brien, even threatened to pull all flights to Malta due to the extended wait times caused by the EES at airports.

Brits have previously been warned of six-hour waits at airports in Portugal caused by the new EES.

A fresh warning of more six-hour waits has now been issued for several major European airports.

Brits warned of 6-hour airport queues – see the holiday hotpots affected

Airline industry leaders have warned that the new EES checks could dramatically increase processing times at passport control.

Vice-president for Europe at IATA, Rafael Schvartzman, said the system increases passenger processing times from around 20-25 seconds to as much as 90 seconds per traveller, creating a “hard risk” of lengthy queues and missed flights, The Times reported.

Mr Schvartzman told IATA’s annual meeting that places were implementing the system differently, some did not have the required technology or infrastructure, and kiosks were understaffed.

He added: “What we are seeing is a very hard risk of really challenging times or waiting times, talking about expectations of three, four, five, six hours, which is unacceptable.

“We know for a fact there are many cases where people have lost flights or their connectivity.”

The worst-affected holiday hotspots are:

• Lisbon
• Lanzarote
• Alicante
• Mallorca (Majorca)

How long are EES delays at airports expected to continue?

Deputy executive director of EU border agency Frontex, Uku Sarekanno, said some member states are “struggling” to adopt the EES, and it could take up to two years for things to “stabilise”.

Addressing a summit of travel industry leaders organised by Abta in Westminster, Mr Sarekanno said: “We expect that the situation will stabilise in one or two years.

“The most challenging part is the first enrolment, that is the moment where fingerprints and facial images will be taken.

“If a person is visiting the EU again (within three years), they don’t have to go through the same process, so they can have a more fast track of entry.”

He continued: “Member states are still adjusting to the new reality.

“There are ones which are managing it rather well, who have dedicated resources.

“There are the others who are still struggling.

“This adjustment… is taking some time and effort.”

Chief executive of industry body Airlines UK, added: “If the EU’s own expectation is that queues will last up to two years, that’s not a teething problem – that’s a serious policy failure.

“Member states must make use of the flexibilities available to them, right now, to protect airline passengers this summer and beyond.”

EU rules currently allow the checks to be temporarily halted to avoid queues at peak periods but that is not always happening.

EES is not the only travel change Brits need to worry about in 2026

Britons have also been warned to prepare for the introduction of the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), expected to launch later in 2026.

Under the scheme, visa-exempt travellers, including UK passport holders, will need permission to enter 30 European countries for short stays.

Applications will cost €20, although under-18s and over-70s will be exempt from the fee.

Have you used the new EU’s new entry/exit system yet? Let us know about your experience in the poll above or in the comments below.

The mother of a young girl who nearly died in a stabbing outside an Irish school has revealed how her daughter is doing after the attack.

The child, aged five at the time, was seriously injured along with another young girl, a boy and a creche worker during a stabbing on Dublin’s Parnell Square.

Riad Bouchaker, 52, originally from Algeria, is accused of attempted murder of three children and other charges over the incident on November 23, 2023.

He has denied the charges and claimed he was ‘not in his right mind’ at the time, the Irish Times reports.

The girl’s mum was left in limbo over whether her daughter would survive the attack as the youngster was rushed into surgery following significant blood loss.

The mum’s first question to the medics was ‘is she dead?’ after a life-saving operation.

Her daughter, who has not been named for legal reasons, had suffered a wound to her heart and her brain was left without oxygen for around 40 minutes.

The girl stayed in the ICU for three weeks and was under heavy sedation so that doctors could understand the extent of damage to her brain.

She has been required to relearn everything over the course of her recovery, her family said previously.

At the moment, she is non-verbal and in a wheelchair, and learning to swallow again.

She uses blinking to indicate yes or no, and she relies on medication to go to sleep.

The woman told a Central Criminal Court jury how she received a tearful call from the creche owner where her daughter attended before school on the day of the stabbing.

The owner told the mum, who worked nearby, ‘Oh my God, oh my God, […] has been stabbed, you have to come’ and that it happened in front of the school.

She told the court: ‘I stopped breathing for a second but I kept running and I got there.’

The mum could see her daughter’s pink backpack and pink shoes near the school entrance as the emergency workers surrounded her.

‘I stopped and let them work because I could not do anything for her at that moment,’ she said.

Her daughter had celebrated her fifth birthday at the time of the events.

Bouchaker, of no fixed abode, is charged with attempted murder of two girls and one boy, and assault causing serious harm to a care worker, assaulting three people and producing a 36cm kitchen knife.

He has pleaded not guilty to all charges through an interpreter.

The trial continues.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Federal authorities served a search warrant on Wednesday at a Southern California aerospace facility where a chemical tank overheated last month, forcing 50,000 residents to evacuate because authorities feared a catastrophic explosion.

The warrant signed by a federal judge last week approved the seizure of documents and records related to the “storage, use, or disposal” of methyl methacrylate, the chemical inside the affected tank.

“Samples of the substance within any tank, tote, drum, vat, vessel, or container suspected of containing or having previously contained methyl methacrylate and/or any hazardous substance” were also sought, according to the warrant.

The warrant also orders agents to seize records related to “any cooling equipment or other equipment used to control or regulate the temperature of methyl methacrylate.”

The FBI confirmed its agents were searching GKN Aerospace Transparency Systems in the Orange County city of Garden Grove. Multiple vehicles and several federal agents were seen outside the facility Wednesday morning.

Company says it’s cooperating with authorities

GKN Aerospace makes cockpit windows, canopies and windshields. The tank that overheated contained 6,000 to 7,000 gallons (22,700 to 26,500 liters) of methyl methacrylate, which is highly flammable. The liquid is used in the manufacturing of plastics and coatings, such as Plexiglas and dental prosthetics.

Exposure to the chemical can cause serious respiratory problems, neurological issues and irritation to the skin, eyes and throat, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

The chemical that overheated is still in the holding tank, according to the Orange County Health Care Agency, which is leading the site cleanup and waste removal efforts.

The agency had planned to pump the neutralized methyl methacrylate from the storage tanks into sealed trucks for transport and disposal starting at the end of last week, according to a press release on the agency’s website. But on Friday, they said the removal didn’t happen “due to unavailable resources.”

Once a new date is confirmed, they will provide advance notice to the community.

Responding to a request for comment on the FBI investigation, a GKN spokesperson told the AP on Wednesday morning: “We are cooperating with authorities at our Garden Grove facility and will continue to do so.”

The California incident was the first of two major hazardous chemical emergencies on the West Coast within a week of each other. Five days after the GKN Aerospace situation began, a large tank containing a corrosive chemical at a Longview, Washington paper mill ruptured and imploded, killing 11 people.

___

Bellisle reported from Seattle. Associated Press journalist Josh Funk in Omaha, Nebraska, contributed.

WASHINGTON (AP) — UFC fighter Josh Hokit was decked out in an American flag bandana and American eagle gloves as he unleashed vigorous trash talk ahead of the company’s White House debut.

Sean O’Malley earned American style points for dressing in red — his hair and suit — and blue — dress shirt, tie and, well, hair again — and Michael Chandler visualized accessorizing his fight night walk-out before he dished out a patriotic pounding draped in an American flag.

“For me to walk from the White House to the octagon to represent America, to represent myself, to represent just who I am and what this country means to me,” Chandler said, “it’s just a dream come true.”

The usual foul-mouthed fight hype from UFC’s American fighters ahead of their prime-time debut Sunday on the White House grounds largely yielded to bursts of national pride Wednesday.

O’Malley, known as much for his cornucopia of colors that turn his locks into rainbows or cotton candy tops as his fight skills, tried to downplay the week and called it business as usual. In the next breath, O’Malley confessed fighting on a UFC card on the South Lawn was indeed “epic.”

Hokit, meanwhile, wasn’t about to modify his style on the microphone just because he will fight in the mixed martial arts show timed to coincide with President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday and the celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary.

“You’ll never see me apologize for anything I do,” Hokit said.

Well, the heavyweight is in the right city for that declaration. He was one of several fighters who added a dash of brashness and boldness in the nation’s capital just four days before the surreal juxtaposition of pummeling and patriotism set for Trump and UFC boss Dana White’s big-fight vision of UFC Freedom 250.

Forget the Washington Monument. The claw, the temporary arena structure that houses the eight-sided cage, is the buzziest landmark this week in DC.

Weather is a slight concern for fight night

Umbrellas were a necessary accessory around Washington early Wednesday and the threat of heavier rain later in the week, which could dampen both a scheduled press conference at the Lincoln Memorial as well as fight night, was the only true concern ahead of the fight card.

White, who helped launch UFC into a global sports empire, insisted inclement weather will not keep the spectacle from proceeding as scheduled.

“We’re going to be good on Sunday,” White said this week. “I don’t care if it snows, rains, we’re going. Even lightning. You guys all played sports when you were growing up. Whenever there was lightning, you’d sit the lightning out. When it was over, you played. That’s what we’ll do.”

Two titles at stake on the South Lawn

While the South Lawn setting normally reserved for low-contact events like the annual Easter Egg Roll is the real star of the show, there are two championship fights set for the Paramount+ show.

In a card that has been panned by fans online as underwhelming, Brazil’s Alex Pereira will meet France’s Ciryl Gane for the interim UFC heavyweight title. Then Spanish-Georgian lightweight champion Ilia Topuria takes on interim champ Justin Gaethje, one of just two Americans who currently hold even a share of the UFC’s 11 championship belts.

Middleweight Bo Nickal was a three-time NCAA Division I wrestling champion at Penn State who was awed when he met Trump in 2019 at the White House during a ceremony for collegiate national champions.

“The president said hello to all the teams,” Nickal said Wednesday. “When he got to us, he was all excited because he likes wrestlers. He talked to us for maybe 10, 15 minutes because he likes chatting.”

Nickal is set to fight on the main card Sunday against Philadelphia fighter Kyle Daukaus. Nickal called fighting on the show a “massive opportunity,” and one he may have manifested back in that 2019 meeting.

“I told him at that time in 2019 that I was going to fight at UFC,” Nickal said. “He asked if I needed an agent. He’s put in a good word for me, obviously, getting on this card.”

The bulk of UFC’s roster seemingly threw their names on the ballot and hoped to get the call they would fight in front of the president.

Chandler, the 40-year-old Missouri native, laughed when he said he would feel “as high as kite in the best way possible” on his way to the cage. He was thrilled when he earned a lightweight bout against Mauricio Ruffy.

“Even if you’re not watching, you’ve heard about this card, whether you like to admit it or not,” Chandler said.

White not fazed by federal lawsuit

Not everyone is on board with fighters commandeering the same South Lawn where Dwight D. Eisenhower once put in a putting green.

A federal lawsuit filed Saturday by the Public Integrity Project on behalf of two Virginia residents contends the Trump administration’s authorization of the event was unlawful. The lawsuit says such approval violated National Park Service regulations prohibiting sporting events on federal parklands, Congress did not consent to the towering arch overlooking the event space and no environmental review was conducted before the construction.

White, a long-time friend and former business associate of Trump’s from the days when Boardwalk cards at Trump Taj Mahal lifted UFC into relevancy, brushed off the idea the lawsuit could halt the fight card.

“We were expecting a lawsuit,” White said. “We expected everything coming into this event. We thought it would be sooner. We knew it was going to come. We didn’t know who or how, but we knew it was going to come.”

___

AP MMA: https://apnews.com/hub/mixed-martial-arts

The car got stuck on the busway on Tuesday, June 9

Another car has fallen victim to the Cambridgeshire guided busway trap. The car got stuck on the busway along Station Road in St Ives at about 3.54pm on Tuesday, June 9.

The car was pictured next to traffic lights at the guided busway. Cambridgeshire County Council were called with reports that a car entered the trap.

A member of the county council’s busway team helped the driver to push their vehicle back onto Station Road. The junction was cleared by 4.45pm.

A spokesperson for Cambridgeshire County Council said: “A car entered the car trap in St Ives at 15:54 yesterday (Tuesday) and became stuck. A member of our Guided Busway team helped the driver to push their vehicle back onto Station Road and the junction was clear by 16:45.”

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has outlined the identity verification process for people making a new Universal Credit claim, including which documents can be used as evidence

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Those making a fresh Universal Credit claim may be required to submit specific documentation to confirm their identity, with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) outlining the evidence that can be used online and what occurs should claimants be unable to prove who they are digitally.

Individuals who are unable to verify their identity online may be requested to attend a Jobcentre appointment or furnish additional information before their Universal Credit claim can proceed.

Identity verification forms a crucial part of the Universal Credit application process, helping to ensure payments reach the correct recipient. The most recent DWP figures reveal that 8.3 million people throughout the UK are receiving financial support via Universal Credit.

According to GOV.UK guidance, people can usually verify their identity online if they have any two of the following:

• A valid UK passport
• A UK driving licence
• Information from recent Self Assessment tax returns
• Credit reference information

The online service cross-references information against official records and can help accelerate the application process for new claimants, reports the Daily Record.

However, not everybody will be in a position to verify their identity digitally. The DWP has stated that those who are unable to use the online service may be offered alternative means of confirming their identity.

This can include submitting documents, attending an in-person appointment at a Jobcentre, or completing a biographical interview by telephone.

Claimants who are requested to attend a Jobcentre interview may be required to bring proof of identity and other supporting documentation with them. The official guidance notes that the precise paperwork required may differ depending on an individual’s personal circumstances and what details the DWP already has on record.

Universal Credit is a means-tested benefit intended to assist those on a low income, those out of employment, or those unable to work with their everyday living costs.

The benefit has now superseded six legacy benefits, including Working Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance and Housing Benefit for the majority of working-age claimants.

Those submitting a new claim can begin the process via GOV.UK, where they will be prompted to set up an account and confirm their identity before supplying details regarding their income, savings, housing costs and household situation.

The DWP has released comprehensive guidance on GOV.UK outlining the documents that can be used to verify identity, along with alternative options for those who are unable to complete the process online.

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