Scammers are posing as the Craft Council of Newfoundland and Labrador to sell vendor space at a fair that is already full. Vendors and community groups should check first.
If someone offers you a booth at the Craft Council of Newfoundland and Labrador's Christmas Craft Fair, it is a scam. The fair is less than two weeks away and fully booked. The council says scammers are pretending to be the organization to collect vendor applications and payments, as reported by VOCM.
The council describes the scams as increasingly sophisticated. The newest twist is that scammers are going after trusted community organizations. They encourage these groups to pass along fake vendor calls as if the Craft Council had sent them.
That approach works because people trust their local groups. A fake offer in a familiar newsletter or social media page looks far more real than a message from a stranger. A well-meaning group can end up spreading the scam without knowing it.
Craft makers and small vendors hunting for holiday market space are the main targets, since they are the ones asked to apply and pay. Community groups that share opportunities with members are the second target. Shoppers visiting the fair have no reason to worry based on what has been reported.
The steps in the alert box above cover what to do. The key point is to confirm any offer with the host group yourself, using contact details you find on your own.
Some things are not yet clear. The council has not said how many people have been contacted, whether anyone has lost money, or how the scammers are reaching people.
Before paying for any market booth, confirm the offer with the host group yourself, and do not share vendor calls until you have.
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