Sliotar scam: Warning over GAA letters demanding return of match balls
Letter Sliotar Scam
A scam letter circulating online, purporting to be from Cork GAA regarding the return of smart sliotars, has been confirmed as a fake.
The correspondence, presented on Cork GAA headed paper and allegedly signed by Kevin Cummins of Cummins Sports, dates May 1 and states a smart sliotar used in the Cork-Clare Munster SHC Round 2 game at the end of last month was traced to the recipient's Eircode.
The letter from Cummins - whose company manufactures sliotars and is a supplier to the GAA - threatens legal proceedings if the ball is not returned to the Cork County Board. However, the phone number quoted in the letter is that of Cummins Sports in Douglas Court and not Cork GAA.
Kevin Cummins confirmed to Examiner Sport that the letter is a scam and householders should be vigilant. "It's giving us a lot of irate callers from all over the country and it's been quite embarrassing for us, he said.
What’s more, while smart sliotars are microchipped they do not have GPS capabilities and therefore cannot be tracked.
"By our records we were able to trace one of our sliothars (sic) that went missing from last Sunday's match between Cork and Clare through its GPS co-ordinates to your Eircode," the scam note says.
"These are very expensive commodities and we expect it to be returned. If not we will have no choice but to instigate legal proceeedings."
Cummins Sports sliotars were used in every All-Ireland final from 2000 to 2020.