LONDON - More than 10,000 people have made false claims that they were at the scene of the Manchester terror attack last month in order to score free tickets to a star-studded benefit concert headlined by pop star Ariana Grande this weekend.
Known as One Love Manchester, the upcoming concert is being held on Sunday (June 4) to raise funds to support the victims of the bombing that went off at Grande's May 22 Manchester Arena gig.
Tickets for the sold-out show were made available for sale to the public for 40 British pounds each, but those who were present at the Manchester attack could register online to get tickets for free. However, while 14,200 people had attended that concert, some 25,000 people have since applied for the free tickets.
Tickets have also since been circulating on the Internet via online shopping platforms such as eBay, where they are going for up to 200 British pounds ecah.
In a statement, ticket sales company Ticketmaster said: "Sadly, over 10,000 unscrupulous applications have been made.At Ticketmaster we are doing everything we can... to ensure that tickets go to the actual fans and not the opportunists or touts who have also been applying for free tickets."
Besides Grande, One Love Manchester will see a host of other big-name stars performing, such as Justin Bieber, Coldplay, Katy Perry, Usher, Robbie Williams and Pharrell Williams.
The three-hour concert, staged at Old Trafford cricket ground, will be broadcast live on BBC One in the United Kingdom.
