A society promoting the legend of Robin Hood has attracted a surge in social media followers after people confused it with a US stock trading platform.

The Nottinghamshire-based World Wide Robin Hood Society now has almost 40,000 followers after some Twitter users mistook the account for the Robinhood app, which curbed the buying of shares in Gamestop.

Some Americans have expressed outrage after the platform restricted trading – preventing people from buying the firm’s stock with the objective of increasing its value.

But the World Wide Robin Hood Society said it is “lovely” to have new followers and it is pleased the “legend of Robin Hood is spreading far and wide”.

Taking to Twitter, the society said: “Lovely to have all these new followers.

“Can we just check that you know that you’re following The World Wide Robin Hood Society in Nottingham and not the Robinhood App.

“If so… a big welcome from Sherwood.”

Despite being pleased with the wider publicity, the society did encourage those with “grievances” to contact the Robinhood app directly.

They later tweeted: “Here at the World Wide Robin Hood Society, we rob the rich to give to the poor.

“Much as we’d like to help with your grievances, @robinhoodapp doesn’t reply to us either, so please can you message them directly! Thank you.”