Mayo GAA fans have been asked to watch out for fundraising scams claiming to be raising money for the minor and senior teams.
Mayo County Board said today organisations both in Ireland and abroad have been falsely claiming to have been asked to fundraise for the teams on its behalf.
A spokesman for Mayo GAA said if supporters are unsure whether a fundraising activity is legitimate or not, they should get in contact with the county board or any member of the executive.
“These organisations are using the success of our teams to mislead our very loyal supporters into contributing financially claiming that their funds will go towards the team training funds,” he said.
“Supporters should be aware that the only funds raised that go towards our team training funds are those raised under our Cáirde Mhaigheo fundraising umbrella and only authorised by the Executive of Mayo County Board.”
A spokesman for the GAA said this kind of scam is not uncommon and has been increasing in recent years, but that the association are watching with vigilance.
“It’s a terrible shame people are trying to make a quick buck on the backs of hard working people. I couldn’t begin to hazard a guess [at how much money people would make on this scam]. It’s very hard to quantify,” he said.
The spokesman said that although these fundraising scams are on the rise, they are more focused on counties that have not had sporting success in recent years, citing Donegal’s win last year as an example.
Mayo comprehensively beat Tyrone in the All Ireland senior football final at Croke Park on Sunday and will face either Dublin or Kerry in the final on September 22nd.
Mayo’s minors earlier beat Monaghan in style and face a showdown with Roscommon or Tyrone.