A bar in the centre of Bathgate have been left high and dry after being scammed out of £800 by a man claiming to be West Lothian musician Lewis Capaldi's agent.
The Livery Lounge had been contacted by the individual who said that Lewis Capaldi would be willing to play at a charity gig that they had planned for 12 May, but made them pay £800 up front.
Tickets for the event sold out rapidly, but when the so-called 'agent' was revealed to be a scammer, the Livery Lounge refunded everyone's money.
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The charity gig was intended to raise money for tragic dad Graeme McNeill, from Livingston, who suffered a brain haemorrhage on 16 March while in Prague for the weekend with friends and has been left seriously ill.
Friends, locals and well wishers raised over £30,000 to bring Mr McNeill home, but he was his family's main breadwinner and can no longer work, so the pub was planning to pass on any profits from the gig to support his partner and daughter.
The daughter of the Livery Lounge's owner Andrea Gillard has taken to social media to ask Lewis Capaldi to come and play a gig at the Livery Lounge after all, so that they can raise the money that the family desperately needs.
However, she's yet to hear back from the star.
She told Edinburgh Live:
"We were contacted by this person and believed he was Lewis Capaldi's agent. It wasn’t until his proper agent Ryan contacted me to let me know the situation that I found out - we were shocked.
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"We had sold 130 tickets for the event, which was intended to raise money for Graeme, who suffered a brain haemorrhage in Prague in March.
"He has a little girl named Brooke...we were planning to give the proceeds from the gig to the family.
"Lewis's agent Ryan has spoken to us - he was so helpful - and said he would speak with Lewis regarding this but we haven't heard anything back as yet.
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"We last spoke to Ryan the weekend before the gig was supposed to take place on 12 May.
"We would be really grateful if there was anything Lewis could do to help."
She went on to say that she believes two other venues in West Lothian had also fallen victim to the scam.
Graeme's partner Jodie said:
"I still can't believe this has happened. How can someone stoop so low. I was disappointed not getting to hear Lewis sing, but the fact it was for my partner Graeme also makes me sick. I really hope this person is caught. Some horrible people out there."
To contribute to the fundraising page for Graeme, click here.
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