Suffolk Christmas fair organisers warn of stall pitch scam

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 12 Oct, 07:18 · Archive

Scammers are impersonating a Suffolk events company to sell fake stalls at Christmas fairs.

Scammers impersonating Prestige County Events have been caught offering fake stalls at some of Suffolk's biggest Christmas fairs. The fraudsters send invoices for pitch spaces they do not own, leaving small businesses at risk of losing hundreds of pounds and potentially turning up to events with no allocated stall.

Darren Perry, co-owner of Prestige County Events, said the scam had become an increasing problem in recent months as his company prepares for three major Christmas fairs. 'Scammers are trying to reach multiple stall holders with various events, including each of our three Christmas fairs, offering pitch spaces that do not belong to them and sending invoices whilst impersonating the organiser,' Mr Perry said. 'Not only is this a criminal offence, but the huge knock-on consequences also mean many traders may turn up to events where the organisers have no place allocated for them.'

The company received numerous reports from traders contacted via Gmail accounts claiming to represent Prestige County Events. After reporting the accounts, new email addresses and bank details have continued to appear. Mr Perry said the scam was time-consuming to deal with and risked damaging the company's reputation.

How it is being reported

• Warning as scammers pose as Suffolk Christmas fair organisers to trick tradersA Suffolk events company has issued a warning to traders after catching scammers trying to sell fake stalls at the region's biggest Christmas fairs.Ipswich Star · 12 Oct, 06:00
• Warning as scammers pose as Suffolk Christmas fair organisers to trick tradersA Suffolk events company has issued a warning to traders after catching scammers trying to sell fake stalls at the region's biggest Christmas fairs.East Anglian Daily Times · 12 Oct, 06:00

In this story: Prestige County Events · Darren Perry · Suffolk

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