Scammers on social media tricked thousands of people into gathering in Birmingham city center on New Year’s Eve for a “fireworks spectacular” that never happened. Despite no event being planned, a crowd of thousands gathered at Centenary Square in the UK to watch what they believed would be a grand firework show.
Spectators waited in anticipation, only to be informed by West Midlands Police that there was no such event. According to a report by the Daily Mail, earlier in the day the police force had warned the public about rumors circulating online regarding a New Year’s Eve firework display. Birmingham Superintendent Emlyn Richards addressed the confusion, saying, “There are rumours online that a fireworks display will take place in Centenary Square but there isn’t a planned event this year.”
“We don’t want people travelling into the city to be disappointed when they arrive and discover this is the case,” Richards warned. “There will be thousands of people travelling into the city to enjoy themselves at venues across the city. We will be visible on the streets tonight to ensure everything runs smoothly and people have a wonderful evening.”
Despite the official warnings, many still attended, only to be left disappointed when they learned the news was a hoax.
In contrast, London held its annual New Year’s Eve fireworks display, which took place as scheduled, despite poor weather and heavy rain affecting many other events around the country. Tens of thousands of people gathered in London to witness the fireworks, with millions more watching the spectacle on television.
”I’m really excited about the London New Year’s Eve fireworks, the biggest fireworks taking place anywhere across Europe,” said London Mayor Sadiq Khan prior to the event. “Hundreds of thousands of fireworks, great light display but also a great soundtrack tonight as well.”
This Story originally came from humanevents.com