STALL holders have been urged to exercise caution after a fake Christmas fayre was advertised in a popular shopping centre.
Charities, crafters and small businesses in Dundee have been targeted by scammers promoting a fraudulent event in the Wellgate Centre, claiming that stalls can be added to a fake Christmas event for a fee of £60.
As reported by The Courier, the fayre has been advertised on social media as beginning in November, but bosses at the shopping centre have warned stall holders that it is a scam.
A Wellgate Centre spokesperson said: “We have been made aware of a scam advertising for people to take stalls at a Christmas fayre in the centre in November.
“We can confirm there is no event of this nature being advertised and we want to warn people not to contact those advertising it.”
On the poster, scammers allegedly wrote that they needed stall holders for a “big event” on November 15 and 16 in centre’s 12-15 units, operated by charity shop the British Heart Foundation (BHF).
A WhatsApp number was also reportedly included in the advertisement, urging potential traders to pay the £60 fee to secure their stalls at the fake event.
BHF staff in the centre also confirmed that they were not aware of any such event, with the Wellgate Centre spokesperson adding: “We organise our own Christmas fayre in the lead up to Christmas using the same organisation each time.
“This is definitely a scam and we really don’t want people getting caught out by it.
“We were made aware of this by someone who was checking with us to see if it is genuine.”
Centre bosses said they didn’t think anyone had been caught out by the scammers as of yet, and urged anyone unsure of the legitimacy of any advertisements to contact them directly.
