Ed Sheeran was the subject of a Super Bowl ticket scam that befell a prominent US charity earlier this month.

The as-yet-unidentified scammer managed to secure four suite tickets to the NFL’s prize event – which took place in Houston, Texas on February 5 – by deceiving nonprofit charity The Giving Back Fund with a fraudulent performing contract.

According to TMZ, charity boss Marc Pollick says that the scammer got in touch with The Giving Back Fund by pretending to be Sheeran’s manager, promising that the Norfolk-born artist would perform a concert for the charity the day before the Super Bowl in return for VIP tickets.

The scammer went as far to draw up a fraudulent contract, forging Sheeran’s signature and promising that he would perform two songs at the pre-event. Representatives from the charity met Sheeran’s supposed manager after falling for the ruse, handing over the Super Bowl tickets. The charity never heard from the person they met again, nor did Sheeran turn up for The Giving Back Fund’s pre-Super Bowl event – given that he was touring in Australia at the time.

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Upon discovering Sheeran’s touring plans, the charity contacted police, later establishing that the tickets they’d handed over to the scammer had been sold on. The police will press felony charges on the perpetrator of the scam when they are apprehended.

Meanwhile, Sheeran will play at London’s Royal Albert Hall – find out details about the grand gig here.

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