BBB Springfield warns against vendor sign-up scams on Facebook events

A scammer has been posing as a contact for event vendors in Springfield, the Better Business Bureau Scam Tracker says. According to Pamela Hernandez, regional director for the Springfield BBB, the scammer posed as a member of the Hispanic Networking Group in the Ozarks claiming to be the contact for all vendors.

“I’ve heard about this happening with scammers targeting event goers but I haven’t heard about this twist happening locally,” Hernandez said in an email.

The scammer sent an email to a potential vendor for the Hispanic Networking Group’s International Food Carnaval scheduled for April. They claimed the group was looking for three food trucks to vend at the event on a first-come, firstserve basis. The email requested a $100 vendor registration fee that would go to an unnamed children’s charity.

“We had 2 food trucks during last year’s similar event but it was sold out before the end of the event so we’ve decided to take 3 this year. Based on current estimates attendance is up to 2,000+. All profits are strictly yours,” the email said.

The Hispanic Networking Group in the Ozarks posted on Facebook urging followers to ignore emails from elizabethadamsevents@gmail.com, as she is not a part of the organization. The only way to become a sponsor or vendor for the International Foods Carnaval is to contact Gabriela Verdugo at (915) 440-6374 or by email at hispanicnetworking417@gmail.com.

After the attempted scam on the Hispanic Networking Group, Hernandez checked out Facebook pages for two other upcoming events: Spring Kickoff at Farmer’s Market of the Ozarks and the Women’s Makers Market at Mama Jean’s. She said both events also had posts that appear to be from scammers trying to lure vendors into paying them for a spot.