GameStop frenzy prompts Hedges-Stocks viral surname mix-up
A woman has been inundated with thousands of requests for financial advice and trading tips after people misinterpreted her surname.
Zoah Hedges-Stocks, from Suffolk, stated on Twitter hers was "not a finance account" and did "not have any trading advice" in response to a flurry of queries about GameStop shares. "Hedges-Stocks is my surname", she added in her tweet. It has been seen 40 million times and cheered up lockdown, she said. The 31-year-old writer from Leiston said requests for investment tips began coming in droves during a trading frenzy surrounding US video games retailer GameStop at the end of January. GameStop shares surged 700% as amateurs, inspired by tips shared on social media, tried to get their hands on the stock. And many approached Ms Hedges-Stocks for what they believed would be her expert advice on stocks, shares or hedge funds. Her replying tweet - pointing out she had no knowledge at all of financial matters - quickly went viral. Since posting it on 29 January it has been retweeted 54,000 times and more than 700,000 people have reacted to it. Ms Hedges-Stocks admitted she knew more about privet hedges than speculating on the stock market. "I'm a bit of a financial naif," she said. "I'm not really sure I agree with the stock market - it's just gambling, isn't it?" However, she admitted the popularity of her post had been "incredible". "The virality was a fun early birthday present," said Ms Hedges-Stocks. The double-barrelled surname which has prompted the confusion is down to her mother and father who "wanted me to know I was part of both families". Her tweet inspired several other copycat tweets including a Mr Bonvino who admitted he could not give any advice on quality wines, a Ms Cobb who was unable to help with salad dressing suggestions and a Mr Weedon who said he had absolutely no bladder advice to impart. Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk