How to identify event scams and avoid fraud
Signing up for a new event can feel like quite the gamble. Finding new venues and connecting with new audiences does require a certain level of trust–but that doesn’t mean you should blindly fall into the arms of every new event coordinator you meet. This isn’t a cute little rom com, and that isn’t really Ryan Reynolds messaging you about a new event in Dallas (though it very well could be his likeness).
I’ve seen it more times than I can count, especially in free-for-all groups with little to no barrier to entry. Anyone can post anything, frequently without meeting any sort of criteria, and almost always with very little effort. Before you know it, the original poster has secured hundreds of vendors, and that’s when the messages start:
One post looking for emotional support after a tragic turn of events can quickly turn into a long thread of vendors who have paid and prepped for an event that never even existed. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does happen, it is traumatic and devastating for each and every vendor involved.
So, what can you do to protect yourself while connecting with new events online?
VET YOUR SOURCES
First, consider your source. Where did you find out about this event? Was it on a site like DFW Craft Shows, where the event coordinator has to spend time and effort to provide detailed event information? Or was it in an open Facebook group where pretty much anyone can post about pretty much anything?
Most craft show scams are looking for the easiest and fastest way to make a quick buck. They aren’t going to invest time or money into advertising their event to potential vendors, and they aren’t going to do anything that might leave behind a solid trail of breadcrumbs for the scam to be traced back. That’s what makes Facebook groups the perfect breeding ground for this kind of fraudulent activity.
Event scammers can create a Facebook profile, fill it up with whatever ridiculous details they choose, and then slide right into a public Facebook group and start connecting with vendors. By the time someone calls them out, they have already collected booth fees from as many small businesses as they could. They delete their posts and slide into another group, or they wait for things to cool down and circle right back around.
HOW IS DFW CRAFT SHOWS DIFFERENT?
DFW Craft Shows has always been about connecting the community in the most efficient, effective, and accountable way possible. I require all event coordinators to fill out a standard event submission form to be considered for an event listing, and only then do I share published event listings in our social media channels.
When it comes to breadcrumbs, you should know that once an event’s information is posted to DFW Craft Shows, it stays on the site until long after the event date has passed. That means no one can remove an event listing from DFW Craft Shows except for me. If someone cancels an event, I update their information site-wide, but I don’t delete anything. Why? Because transparency is important. If you are looking for an event you saw last month, I want you to find it.
Events that have listed with DFW Craft Shows in the past earn a “verified” tag that is prominently displayed at the top of their event listing. Verified listings signify that I have confidence in the organization due to an ongoing business relationship, or I have done my best to confirm the event information that I am sharing with you. Verification is NOT a guarantee. You can read the full disclaimer, but TL;DR: always do your own homework.
Pro Tip: VIP Vendors unlock advanced event search filters that help them customize event listings to their specific needs, and that includes searching only verified events.
It’s also worth mentioning that I’ve also processed thousands of event listings over the last decade. My eyes are always peeled for red flags. If I don’t feel comfortable with an event, I am not going to post it. Period.
TAKE IN THE VISUALS
Event flyers can tell you a lot about an event, even if those events are fraudulent. Most of the time, scam event flyers will easily fall into two categories:
1. Hot Mess Event Flyer
A professional event flyer can be a powerful thing, but not all events have the resources to produce one (and that’s ok–that’s why design teams like ours exist). But for the DIY crowd, you might notice a pretty basic, bare bones approach. So how can you tell the difference between a basic event flyer and a scam? It’s really not too hard.
If someone is creating a quick, bare-bones event flyer in their word processor of choice, they are most likely going to take the simplest approach to getting the job done. They are NOT going to use 8 different fonts, have text and images plastered every which way all over the page, or make a ton of spelling and grammatical errors.
Scam event flyers usually have bits and pieces of data pasted on top of base flyers. They may change the core details and post it in groups all over the country. Keep an eye out for:
- Important details presented in text with random, colorful backgrounds
- Booth sizes that doesn’t necessarily make sense
- Data presented in unusual formatting
- Venue, date, or contact information that looks like it was added as an afterthought
- Lots of different fonts / styles
- Numerous grammatical errors & spelling mistakes
- Strange phrasing or unusual diction
- Requesting multiple direct sales companies
- Ambiguity
Bottom line: If the event flyer reminds you of a ransom note cut from magazine scraps, you may want to spend a little extra time vetting the event.
2. Professional Event Flyer
If craft show scams are all about a quick buck, why then do some scam events have beautiful visuals? That’s easy. Not all event scams are about selling you spaces at fake events, some of them are simply selling you fake spaces at legit events–events they are not in any way associated with. The event scammer pulls information for an event that you can easily verify with the venue, an event you might see folks talking about in your community. You look up the event, you feel comfortable with its web presence and can easily verify the venue. The scammer is counting on this false sense of comfort to reel you in. Everything looks like it is on the up and up, as long as you don’t bother to verify their connection with the event… which is why this next section is so important.
Examine your communication
Event scammers try to isolate their targets in private conversations like these because It is much easier to scam someone when you don’t have thousands of eyeballs watching. It is for this exact reason that many scammers will turn commenting off on their Facebook posts. They don’t want more experienced vendors to point out that something looks sketchy, so they shut down the conversation.
When event coordinators message you on Facebook (or ask you to message them), you need to pay close attention to the cadence of your conversation. Are they ignoring your questions? Are their answers vague and unhelpful? If they are primarily focused on getting you to sign up and pay before they will give you key event details, that’s a big red flag. If they ghost you after you ask something as simple as “Where is this event being held?” it’s time for you to count your blessings and move on.
VERIFY YOUR CONTACTS
In the case of Facebook groups, it’s not just about where you find your event information, but it’s about the person posting it as well. Your first step here is going to be clicking on their name and viewing their main profile. A lot of craft show scammers can be sniffed out with a quick scan of their profile, and here are just a few examples of what you are looking for.
Was their profile created recently? Sure, they could be new to Facebook and starting up a legit event OR they could be starting up a new profile because their last profile was blocked. Look under the info section on the left for their published joined date. If there isn’t any information there, scroll down through their timeline to see the amount and quality of their posts. If the last post you can see was from this year or last, you know the account is fairly new.
Do they have very few connections, posts, photos, etc on their profile? There are plenty of people on Facebook with private profiles. That alone does not make them worthy of your suspicion. An event coordinator, however, who is openly soliciting vendors and marketing an event is going to have some kind of substance on their Facebook profile. They are going to be connected to their local community, and they are most likely going to be talking about their event on their personal feed in some form or fashion.
Does their profile picture look familiar? A little too professional? Completely random? Trust your gut. Event scammers have been caught using all sorts of photos, including those of both well known and lesser known celebrities. Stock photos are a big favorite, so any kind of professional headshot is worth a closer peek. My favorite profile pictures are the ones that still have watermarks on them indicating the sites they were stolen from. So if you see little words in the background that read “stock” or the name of a website, it’s time to raise the red flag.
Tip: Scammers are notorious for stealing personal photos from legit profiles and using them to create more authentic looking fake identities.
Consider their footprint. If you search the group for their name, are they active in the comments of other posts? Have they posted other events? If so, what was the general consensus/response? Start searching in the group where you found the event information, but gradually expand your search criteria. If you find an event coordinator posting the same event post in different groups that span multiple states, you’ve found another red flag.
Verify official contact information. Always use officially published contact information whenever possible. Every event listing on DFW Craft Shows has a contact section at the bottom with the event coordinator’s preferred contact methods. If you find an official Facebook page or website for the event, double check the contact information. If there is an email and/or name listed, but someone else is messaging you claiming to be the event coordinator, consider reaching out to the official email to provide the information requested or verify the person contacting you.
Examine the email address. Beware of overly vague, generic email addresses, especially ones ending with random numbers like “eventvendors4” or “infoevents050.” These email addresses are easy to create and use for multiple event scams. They are also easy for you to start adding to a cross-check list.
Pro Tip: If you found the event posted online or in a Facebook group, I highly recommend taking the time to save some screenshots. If anything goes south, the first thing an event scammer will do is delete their posts and/or delete their profile.
Vendor Applications
If you already have access to their Vendor Application, go over it with a fine tooth comb. Is the diction awkward? Is the verbiage vague and uninformative? This might be because the Vendor Application you are looking at is being used for multiple event scams. Anything that is nonsensical or contradicts information you have been given is a big red flag. You should never have to fill out an application OR pay a booth free BEFORE you have access to basic event information. If they don’t want to tell you where the event is happening, there is a reason.
DUE DILIGENCE & DETAILS
So you’ve vetted your source and you are feeling confident that the event coordinator actually is a real and trustworthy human being. What now? My last step is always a quick call / text / email to the venue.
If an event coordinator is taking payments to secure booth spaces at their event, then that venue needs to be fully reserved. No exceptions.
Almost every event venue you can imagine will have a publicly listed phone number and a venue manager who can look at their calendar and verify an event AND the event coordinator. Booking a large venue requires a financial commitment that most craft show scammers will not pony up. It eats into their profits.
Be on the lookout for statements like “they have reserved the space, but they haven’t paid their deposit yet.” If they are booking vendors for an event, but they haven’t officially locked down the venue, you should be seeing red flags. If the event is happening at an address with no mentionable venue, it’s time to start investigating. Events happening at vague addresses without specific venue names can be harder to verify, which is exactly why you will see it happening over and over again with fraudulent events.
PAYING THE PIPER
Lastly, and this rule applies for all things internet, be smart about paying anyone that you do not personally know. Paying someone you do not know via Facebook Messenger for an event you have never heard of does NOT leave you with many actionable steps if everything goes south.
Legitimate events are going to ask you to go through a legitimate payment process, if for no other reason than to make their own bookkeeping easier. Most business-related payment methods come with buyer protection and numerous safeguards to protect you against fraud. Do not circumvent these safeguards by sending payments to people you do not know through apps or via methods reserved for friends and family. Business transactions are not the time to be thrifty or get creative—the value of having those safeguards in place far exceeds the 3% fee, and if someone cannot receive payments professionally, it’s worth asking yourself why.
EVENT SCAMS WRAP UP
If you are new to events, this probably seems like a lot, but it all boils down to trusting your gut and doing your homework. You are a business owner. You wouldn’t jump into a new business relationship blindly and events should be treated as such. Take your time to research before you commit, and in doing so, you will always be protected.
Remember:
- Use trustworthy sources, like DFW Craft Shows.
- Scrutinize event flyers and vendor apps for inconsistencies and errors.
- Research event contacts and ask questions.
- Verify connections both to events and venues.
- Be diligent when it comes to exchanging money.
If you are an event coordinator trying to PREVENT your craft show information from being used in event scams, we have a post that walks you through 5 steps to protect your event from scammers. And if you want to see some event research in practice, check out our post [LEGIT OR NOT] Does Texas have a new Country Music Festival? to walk through our research of a recently posted event.
Vendor Support Groups
Identifying craft show scams can be hard in the beginning, and finding legit events can be tougher still. DFW Craft Shows has a number of vendor support groups aimed at helping you do both safely:
- DFW Craft Shows Community Group (Texas specific)
- Craft Vendor Support & Community Group (not location specific)
There are also facebook groups dedicated solely to outing event scammers.
Good luck out there!
Originally posted on December 15, 2021.
This was a very informative article! I appreciate the research that you have done and the samples of fliers that you shared!
I have always had great success using your site!
Thanks, Laura! I am so glad to hear that. <3
I am new to vending and have found this information incredibly helpful!! Thank you ?
I am so glad it helped! Good luck out there. <3
Wow! Really good and helpful information! I know I read this article in the past but always good to be reminded of red flags and trust your gut. Thank you for your insight 😊
This article was a great help! I started to reserve an event with a questionable ad that just said “Vendors wanted” and had a school bus. I followed it to an email address; then a phone number. They sent me an invoice for $100. I tried to pay it, but it didn’t go anywhere. I called the number and was told the site was down. They gave me another way (Venmo). I tried that, to no avail. Received an email saying they were having trouble setting up these accounts and could only take a check, cash, or money order. BIG red flags. I told them when they got a proper payment site set up to let me know. I just deleted their emails thanks to this article!
I found a vendor on Facebook and asked in the comments what the vendor fee is. The person responded back by asking me to privately message her for fees. I’ve been doing vendor booths for nearly 30 years and have found that ones who ask to be privately messaged are scams. After I commented back about it possibly being a scam, all the sudden 4 different people are attacking me to “keep my mouth shut and be respectful”. What are your thoughts on vendors not publicly announcing the vendor fee?
Keeping vendor fees hidden is an unusual practice and would raise red flags for me as well. More often than not, scammers like to get folks into a private conversation. It is much easier to scam a person 1:1 than it is in front of an entire forum.