CAR SHOW SCAMMERS HIT CLUBS
Overseas gang attempts to charge £1000 for free stands at UK shows – we reveal the signs that your club is being targeted
The organiser of two of Britain’s biggest events has joined clubs in warning that scammers are asking new clubs to pay more than £1000 for show stands at the NEC and other classic events across the UK.
CCW has been made aware that several clubs have been approached and asked to pay ¤1212 (£1082), but Clarion Events has stressed that this is not the case and is encouraging clubs to get in touch.
Long-time club exhibitors at the Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show and Practical Classics Classic Car and Restoration Show are worried that an old confidence trick could fleece first-time exhibitors and unwary clubs out of thousands of pounds.
Club stand allocations are now full for November’s Classic Motor Show, but clubs, including Fiat Motor GB and the Armstrong Siddeley Owners’ Club, have received plausible, but utterly fraudulent documentation that claims to guarantee a place in the NEC’s halls. The papers, from Costa Rican firm, International Fairs Directory, have nothing to do with the Classic Motor Show, Classic Car and Restoration Show or their organiser, Clarion Events; the fine print, however,
signs the unwitting club to a threeyear, ¤1212 a year contract. Clubs pay nothing to display their cars if selected.
96 new clubs have displayed at the NEC for the first time since 2015, with 95 others having lapsed stand applications from 2013. Fiat Motor Club GB’s Gavin Bushby said: ‘I am painfully aware that this is convincing and newer clubs or organisers may not realise that it is not official documentation.’
More experienced club exhibitors have told CCW that this confidence trick has been doing the rounds for 10-15 years. Armstrong Siddeley Owners’ Club chairman, Ann Blatchford, said that the club had also received correspondence that was obviously bogus. She said:
‘ We do monitor everything very carefully and I’m pleased to say that we haven’t had any problems. Clubs do have to be careful and we can see that a busy club representative could fall for something like this socalled directory.’
Morris Minor Owners’ Club branch liaison officer, Susan Akrill, said: ‘The club does get quite a bit of correspondence that appears to be from scammers and as in the case of the scam you mention it can all look so legitimate. They already have details of your club. It really is necessary to be careful.’
Rover P5 Club secretary, Mel Newton, said: ‘It’s true to say that there are a lot of scams like this around, and we have had material that’s obviously from scammers. It’s good that this latest incident is being publicised.’
Holly Collas of the MG Owners’ Club said: ‘ We can only advise any club to be careful when signing up for something. This club wouldn’t get involved with sending off details for any type of directory.’
Show Director, Lee Masters, said that Clarion Events was aware of the problem and warned clubs to be vigilant. He said: ‘Sadly, this scam continues to affect the whole exhibition industry, not just the Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show. Each year we issue warnings to the car clubs and exhibitors involved.
‘If any club is unsure, they should contact club co-ordinator, Alison Judge, to confirm if the enquiry is reputable. There is also information available at the Association of Exhibition Organisers [AEO] website.’