With rising costs hitting Manchester’s hospitality industry hard, one bar manager has a strong warning for other venues after he was recently hacked on Instagram – and held to ransom by the hacker.
After receiving a message from an account that shared mutual friend with his, Neil clicked a link and entered his details thinking that he was replying to Instagram.
He then saw that his account had been blocked, before receiving a number of messages and Whatsapp calls from a hacker who asked for £400 in order to restore the account.
A message from the hacker, sent to Neil’s personal Whatsapp, read: “Hi. I’m sorry. I hacked your account, I’m doing this for money, if you want, I can sell it to you for a small fee.”
Neil Garner, founder of Stockport’s cult favourite cocktail bar, Cherry Jam, told The Manc: “We received a message in late August telling us that we had violated a code and, as the message came from an account with mutual friends and colleagues on Instagram, I stupidly entered my details.
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“Our account then got blocked and a few days afterwards I received messages from a hacker, followed by several video calls on WhatsApp from people demanding that we pay them money to get the account back.
“We wrote to Meta and reported the issue, but we have had no reply since.”
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Image; Supplied
Image; Supplied
Neil continued: “We opted not to pay the hacker, of course, but this has had a massive effect on the business.
“As Instagram is our most important marketing tool, we had gone from 6,500 local followers and supporters to zero overnight. Our sales dropped by a massive 30% the month we lost the account and our ticketed event sales also took a huge hit.
“With rising wage costs, energy bills, cost of living and an unsettled economy this has been a huge hit to our business, we will get through, (we hope), however it has had stopped any plans for growth and made it much more expensive to get the word out about upcoming events and promotions.”
Follow these tips to avoid getting hacked on Instagram:
Always use a very strong password.
Make sure that the phone number and email linked to your account are up to date.
Use Instagram’s two-step authentication and try to use a different email address for each Instagram account that you run.
Ignore “phishing” messages and learn to spot the fake ones. If you get ANY emails, texts or especially DMs including links, err on the side of caution and DO NOT click. Even if they’re from a friend, as they may have been hacked or their account duplicated or claiming to be from Instagram or Facebook. If in ANY doubt, ignore and delete.
Avoid linking Instagram with other social media accounts and other third-party apps where possible.
Follow Cherry Jam’s new Instagram account at @Cherry_Jam_Again for details of forthcoming events – such as themed bottomless brunches and a special recession menu with noughties prices at the Stockport venue.
Feature image – Cherry Jam
News
Channel 4 to air exclusive new documentary about the disappearance and death of Lancashire teen Jay Slater
An exclusive new documentary taking an inside look at the the disappearance of Jay Slater is coming to Channel 4.
On the morning of 17 June 2024, 19-year-old Jay Slater – an apprentice bricklayer from the Lancashire town of Oswaldtwistle – disappeared on the island of Tenerife in Spain, after attempting to walk 14 hours back to his accommodation when there was no local taxi service available and no bus due for 90 minutes.
From then commenced one of the biggest missing persons cases in recent British history.
As the world’s media were following the story minute by minute last summer, producers at Channel 4 were in the incredibly-unique position where they had access to the Coronial process in Lancashire, and this has led to the exclusive documentary title The Disappearance of Jay Slater.
From Jay’s post-mortem to Jay’s inquest, the team have been with the family every step of the way over the last year, as they try and understand exactly what happened to Jay outside of the public gaze
Jay was ultimately pronounced dead on 15 July 2024 after Spanish police reported the discovery of a body in the vicinity of the area of interest, but before this discovery and eventual announcement, the internet became awash with public discourse, conspiracy theories, and more.
The Disappearance of Jay Slater is described as being ‘the family’s story’.
Channel 4 will air an exclusive new documentary about the disappearance and death of Lancashire teen Jay Slater / Credit: GoFundMe
The documentary is set to follow them as they search for answers about what happened to Jay, witnessing the conspiracy theories raging online and the subsequent horrific abuse they received as a family – which is an hourly onslaught that continues to this day.
These cameras were the only media in the world granted full access to film both Jay’s post-mortem and inside the church at his funeral.
But the broadcaster claims this documentary is not only the story of Jay’s tragedy, it’s also the story of ‘the new world we live in’ where so-called true crime armchair detectives run wild.
“The story of Jay Slater captured the nation last summer with a fervour and intensity fuelled by armchair detectives and internet culture,” commented Channel 4’s Commissioning Editor, Rita Daniels, ahead of the documentary airing.
“We are so glad to be working on a sensitively handled exploration of the family’s experience, and understanding the impact of being in the middle of a social media storm, amplified by grief.
“The film holds a light up to our current society and is exactly the story that is a necessity for Channel 4 to tell.”
Executive Producer Anna Hall added: “It is appalling what has happened to Jay’s family, and we hope this film will help to bring awareness of the real life consequences of online speculation. It is an unmonitored world where fake news runs rife, and this film shows the devastating impact this has had on one grieving family.”
The Disappearance of Jay Slater is expected to air on Channel 4 later this year, but no official dates have been confirmed as of yet, so keep your eyes peeled.
Featured Image – GoFundMe
News
Section of major Salford road to close for six months while ‘essential works’ are carried out
A section of major Salford city centre road is set to close for six months while ‘essential works’ are carried out.
As part of Salford Rise – which is a key element of the wider £2.5bn 240-acre Crescent Salford masterplan being delivered by the Crescent Partnership, comprising ECF, Salford City Council, and the University of Salford – Frederick Road is set to close from next month to enable essential construction across the carriageway.
The new 220-metre elevated walkway is aiming to provide a traffic-free route over the road for pedestrians and cyclists, all while continuing to improve community connectivity.
The Salford road will be closed to both vehicles and pedestrians between Lissadel Street and Leslie Hough Way while the walkway is built.
A section of a major Salford road will be closing for six months while ‘essential works’ are carried out / Credit: Crescent Partnership
Vehicle diversions will be in place via Lissadel Street, Cromwell Road, Gerald Road, and Seaford Road during the six-month period, and pedestrians will be able to walk up Broughton Road East to get around the closure.
Access to the North of England Robotics Innovation Centre (NERIC), however, will be maintained according to the Council.
Salford Rise is described as being ‘the backbone’ of the Crescent Innovation and a ‘transformational element’ of the wider masterplan.
Frederick Road will be closed for six months starting from 12 July for essential #SalfordRise construction works. The road will be closed between Lissadel Street and Leslie Hough Way to both vehicles and pedestrians as the 220m elevated footway gets built above it 🏍️ 🛻 🚙 pic.twitter.com/6gWXKeNZBG
— Salford City Council (@SalfordCouncil) June 17, 2025
The 29-acre area – which received planning permission last year, and is set to complete in the summer of 2026 – is made up of dozens of new homes and 1.7m sq ft of commercial, academic, and research floorspace built on existing state-of-the-art research and development facilities to drive further economic growth in the city and wider region.
While the work on the walkway is ongoing, there will also be parking restrictions in place on Lissadel Street and Broughton Road East for ‘pedestrian safety’.
“Salford Rise is a key regeneration project that will unlock the potential of the Crescent Innovation zone and better connect our communities with the wider Crescent area,” commented Councillor Mike McCusker, who is the Lead Member for Planning, Transport, and Sustainable Development at Salford City Council.
“These essential works will enable us to continue towards our goal of developing a green walkway and high-quality public spaces, improving accessibility and encouraging active travel as well as creating employment and education opportunities across the Crescent area.”
Georgina Pellant -
15th November 2022 
