# Fake craft fair invitations: how to spot a vendor scam

Published 2026-10-29 by Crafter Sidekick. https://craftersidekick.com/vendor-scams

If you sell handmade goods, you have probably had an email like this: an invitation to a holiday market, a booth for under $100, and a request to reply so they can "arrange payment". Some are real. Others are scams.

In 2026, police, fairs and markets in Ontario and across Canada have warned about people selling vendor spaces at events that don't exist, or at real events they have nothing to do with.

## In short

- Scammers use the name of a real market, or invent one at a real venue, then sell booths by email, Facebook or Eventbrite.
- Most ask for an Interac e-Transfer, often to a free Gmail address built from the event's name. After you pay, they stop answering or ask for more.
- Before you pay, find the organizer's website yourself, apply only through it, and phone the venue to confirm the booking.
- If you have already paid, call your bank right away and report it to the [Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre](https://antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/) at 1-888-495-8501.

## How the scam works

1. They borrow a name you trust. The pitch uses a well-known event such as the Distillery Winter Village, the Elmvale Fall Fair or the Niagara Butter Tart Festival, or a real venue like a community centre or hotel. Copycat Google Forms and Eventbrite pages make it look official ([blogTO](https://www.blogto.com/radar/2026/07/distillery-winter-village-toronto-warning-scams/)).
2. They go where vendors look. Listings appear on Eventbrite, in Facebook groups and ads, and in email to makers who have sold at markets before. In South Etobicoke, community group admins noticed the same vendor post, with the same dates, repeated in cities across North America ([South Etobicoke News via Toronto Newswire](https://torontonewswire.com/residents-being-warned-of-legit-vendors-sought-for-bogus-craft-markets/)).
3. The deal sounds easy. Booths are cheap: $85 a table in a fake Timmins festival ([CTV](https://vancouver.ctvnews.ca/northern-ontario/article/timmins-police-warn-crafters-about-a-fake-shopping-festival)), and $100 to $140 a day for a fake fair in Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., which promised 3,500+ visitors a day ([Global News](https://globalnews.ca/news/11910321/fort-saskatchewan-craft-fair-scam-warning/)). The pitch usually adds that spaces are limited.
4. Payment is informal. You are asked to e-Transfer a deposit or reply to "arrange payment". One Elmvale vendor was told to pay elmvalvefairinfo@gmail.com, an address one letter off from the fair's name ([OPP](https://www.springwater.ca/news/posts/media-release-police-warn-of-fraud-targeting-vendors-seeking-fair-and-event-spaces/)).
5. Then they vanish, or ask for more. After the first payment, the Elmvale scammer came back for more money and blamed a funding shortfall. Others stop replying once the money arrives ([Bitdefender](https://www.bitdefender.com/en-au/blog/hotforsecurity/night-market-invitation-scams-small-business)).

## Warning signs

- You never applied, but you got an invitation, often starting "Dear Vendor".
- The email comes from Gmail, Outlook or another free account, not the event's own web address.
- The address is almost right: an extra letter, or two letters swapped.
- There is no website, or a new one with no named people, no past events and no refund policy.
- They want an e-Transfer, or ask you to reply to arrange payment, before anything is confirmed in writing.
- There is pressure to pay now because "only a few booths are left".
- You find the same event, dates and wording posted for other cities.
- The address doesn't fit. The Timmins "festival" listed a car wash.

## Check before you pay

1. Find the event yourself. Search the event name and look for the organizer's own website and social accounts. Don't use the links or phone numbers in the message.
2. Apply only through the official site. The Distillery now takes applications only through its event websites, and says it never uses Gmail or contacts vendors out of the blue ([blogTO](https://www.blogto.com/radar/2026/07/distillery-winter-village-toronto-warning-scams/)).
3. Phone the venue. Use the number on the venue's own website and ask whether the event is booked for that date, and under whose name.
4. Ask for a track record. Ask for photos from past markets, references from vendors who sold there, and proof of a permit or lease ([Toronto Newswire](https://torontonewswire.com/residents-being-warned-of-legit-vendors-sought-for-bogus-craft-markets/)).
5. Look up the company. If the site names a federal corporation, you can find it in the [Corporations Canada search](https://ised-isde.canada.ca/cc/lgcy/fdrlCrpSrch.html). A brand-new company isn't proof of fraud, but it is a reason to check the rest more carefully.
6. Pay in a way you can dispute. A credit card gives you a way to dispute the charge. An e-Transfer is usually gone once it is accepted.

## If you already paid

- Call your bank or card company right away. A vendor caught by the Distillery copycat got their $1,500 deposit back through their bank ([blogTO](https://www.blogto.com/radar/2026/07/distillery-winter-village-toronto-warning-scams/)).
- Keep everything: the emails, the listing, receipts and screenshots.
- Report it to your local police and the [Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre](https://antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/) (1-888-495-8501). The OPP asks people to report even when they lost nothing, because it helps track the scam ([OPP](https://www.springwater.ca/news/posts/media-release-police-warn-of-fraud-targeting-vendors-seeking-fair-and-event-spaces/)).
- Tell the real event or venue so they can warn other vendors, and report the email account to its provider.

## Recent cases

- May 5, 2026, Winnipeg, Man.: The Forks warned that a farmers' market promoted there doesn't exist. Vendors were asked to prepay for booths by forksfarmersmarket@gmail.com. ([The Forks](https://www.theforks.com/blog/512/notice-non-existent-events-being-promoted-at-the-forks))
- June 17, 2026, Fort Saskatchewan, Alta.: RCMP said a "Northern Prairie Craft, Food & Vendor Fair" listed on Eventbrite at the Dow Centennial Centre was fake. The venue and at least one vendor were defrauded. ([Global News](https://globalnews.ca/news/11910321/fort-saskatchewan-craft-fair-scam-warning/))
- July 2026, Toronto, Ont.: The Distillery Winter Village warned of fake Eventbrite listings and Gmail invitations. One vendor was asked for a $1,500 e-Transfer deposit. The Niagara Butter Tart Festival and the Sudbury Market were also imitated. ([blogTO](https://www.blogto.com/radar/2026/07/distillery-winter-village-toronto-warning-scams/))
- Aug. 12, 2026, Elmvale, Ont.: A vendor was told to e-Transfer elmvalvefairinfo@gmail.com for a spot at the Elmvale Fall Fair, then asked for more. Huronia West OPP issued a warning on Aug. 14, and CTV described the scheme as province-wide. ([CTV News Barrie](https://www.ctvnews.ca/barrie/article/elmvale-fall-fair-caught-up-in-province-wide-vendor-phishing-scam/))
- Aug. 13, 2026, Wellesley, Ont.: The Wellesley Apple Butter & Cheese Festival said its vendors were targeted by a phishing scheme. ([CTV News Kitchener](https://www.ctvnews.ca/kitchener/article/scammers-continue-to-prey-on-small-community-festivals/))

## How Crafter Sidekick handles it

Every listing on the Crafter Sidekick map links to the organizer's or venue's own page. We don't link to third-party "vendors wanted" posts.

While building the map we found listings that matched this pattern, with the same wording and the same daily booth fee repeated in different towns. We keep those off the map. If a listing looks wrong to you, open it on the map and tap "Information incorrect".

## Questions

### Are craft fair vendor scams common in Ontario?

They have been widely reported in 2026. Police and organizers warned about fake vendor offers using the names of the Distillery Winter Village in Toronto, the Elmvale Fall Fair, the Niagara Butter Tart Festival and the Wellesley Apple Butter & Cheese Festival, and CTV described the Elmvale scheme as province-wide.

### How can I tell if a craft fair vendor invitation is real?

Find the organizer's website yourself and apply only through it, phone the venue to confirm the event is booked, and ask for photos and references from past markets. Be wary of free email addresses, invitations you didn't ask for, pressure to pay quickly and requests for an e-Transfer.

### Do real craft fair organizers use Gmail?

Some small, volunteer-run events do, so a Gmail address alone doesn't prove a scam. When it comes with an invitation you didn't request and a request for an e-Transfer, treat it as a scam until you have confirmed the event with the venue.

### What should I do if I paid for a fake vendor booth?

Call your bank or card company right away, keep the emails and receipts, and report it to your local police and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501. Tell the real event or venue too, so they can warn other vendors.

## Sources

- [Distillery Winter Village warns of scams](https://www.blogto.com/radar/2026/07/distillery-winter-village-toronto-warning-scams/), blogTO, July 2026
- [Police warn of fraud targeting vendors seeking fair and event spaces](https://www.springwater.ca/news/posts/media-release-police-warn-of-fraud-targeting-vendors-seeking-fair-and-event-spaces/), Huronia West OPP via Township of Springwater, Aug. 14, 2026
- [Elmvale Fall Fair caught up in province-wide vendor phishing scam](https://www.ctvnews.ca/barrie/article/elmvale-fall-fair-caught-up-in-province-wide-vendor-phishing-scam/), CTV News Barrie, Aug. 12, 2026
- [Scammers continue to prey on small community festivals](https://www.ctvnews.ca/kitchener/article/scammers-continue-to-prey-on-small-community-festivals/), CTV News Kitchener, Aug. 13, 2026
- [Fort Saskatchewan craft fair scam warning](https://globalnews.ca/news/11910321/fort-saskatchewan-craft-fair-scam-warning/), Global News, June 17, 2026
- [Notice: non-existent events being promoted at The Forks](https://www.theforks.com/blog/512/notice-non-existent-events-being-promoted-at-the-forks), The Forks, May 5, 2026
- [Residents warned of legit vendors sought for bogus craft markets](https://torontonewswire.com/residents-being-warned-of-legit-vendors-sought-for-bogus-craft-markets/), Toronto Newswire, Feb. 18, 2024
- [Timmins police warn crafters about a fake shopping festival](https://vancouver.ctvnews.ca/northern-ontario/article/timmins-police-warn-crafters-about-a-fake-shopping-festival), CTV News Northern Ontario

## Further reading

- [Night market invitation scams target small businesses](https://www.bitdefender.com/en-au/blog/hotforsecurity/night-market-invitation-scams-small-business), Bitdefender, Aug. 27, 2026
- [How fall fairs in Simcoe County are dealing with vendor phishing scam](https://guelph.ctvnews.ca/barrie/article/how-fall-fairs-in-simcoe-county-are-dealing-with-vendor-phishing-scam/), CTV News Barrie
- [Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre](https://antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/), Government of Canada