Rock band drummer wants his Nickel(s)back after internet rip-off

A rock star with one of the world’s biggest bands says he has been scammed for over £2,000 by somebody claiming to live in Cunningsburgh. Daniel Adair, the drummer with Canadian hard-rockers Nickelback, is furious about being ripped off over the internet and this week he turned to The Shetland Times for help.

Nickelback are famous for powerful anthems like Rock Star and How You Remind Me. They have racked up more than 30 million album sales worldwide and are currently on a major 31-date tour of the US and Canada.

While gigging in Kansas, Daniel contacted the paper by email in desperation. He said: “I know I’m grabbing at straws … but this is a principle thing. Everybody hates being cheated!”

His problems began last month when he decided to buy a rare and much-sought-after Neumann microphone on the internet classified ads site Craigslist from a man with an eastern European name. The vintage mic is similar to one used to record The Beatles in the 1960s and is considered the best for recording a bass drum sound. Daniel was very keen to get one for the studio he is building at his home in Vancouver.

He agreed to send the £1,050 to the man’s TSB bank account in Lerwick but a month later the man was still claiming it had not arrived. Daniel tried to get the payment recalled and an alternative arrangement was discussed to send the money to the man’s sister’s account. He said she lived in Sandveien in Lerwick and had an account with a bank branch in London. But Daniel decided instead to transfer the cash to Lerwick by Western Union from his hotel in South Carolina where the band was staying after a concert.

Then he learned from his banker that the recall from the TSB had failed and the man did get the £1,050, which he had denied in emails to the drummer.

But Daniel had transferred the second lot of £1,050 by Western Union and it was quickly picked up. Repeated attempts to get a response from the man by email got nowhere. He wrote: “Any news? Could you let me know what’s going on? This is where I get nervous and assume the worst.”

Three days later he wrote again. “I need you to let me know what is going on. If I don’t hear from you I will be forced to get the police involved. I have some friends in the UK who are ready and willing to help me get to the bottom of this.”

Three emails had gone unanswered and after a gig in Tulsa, Daniel lost his patience, warning the man: “You messed with the wrong f****** guy. I’m coming for you.” It goes without saying that no microphone has arrived in Vancouver.

The Shetland Times visited the address in Cunningsburgh but the resident turned out to be an elderly woman living on her own. People we spoke to had never heard of someone by the man’s name in the community.

It could be that the mystery man does not live in Shetland at all and has simply selected the islands to provide some false addresses. Although there is an agency for Western Union at John Leask and Sons in Lerwick, transfers can be picked up from any Western Union outlet provided the receiver has the required security information.

Now back home in Vancouver for a few days before re-embarking on the tour at Spokane in Washington state, Daniel said he was going to file a report to the police in Lerwick today.

Hopefully they will be able to get access to bank information to track down the conman who has tarnished Shetland’s reputation.