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Boston Bridal Show Scam Website

by bgmacaw
5 replies
Police: Fake bridal show signs up thousands

Scammers set up a Web site advertising a fake bridal show billed as the "biggest and most extravagant" and used it to steal from thousands of brides-to-be and their vendors, who were lured by chances to win "fabulous gifts and prizes," police and FBI experts said Monday.
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the scammers insisted on receiving payments through the PayPal online money transfer service, declining to accept checks
Based on the numbers in the article I'd estimate the scammers took in around $100-120K from potential attendees and another $150K or so from vendors. Some estimates have placed it at around $275K.

You have to wonder why PayPal's ever vigilant security department didn't catch this one. My guess is that most of the payments were in the $10-15 range at first and didn't raise any alarms and the bigger ones from vendors came in after the account was established.

Also, the scammers used social media, Facebook and Twitter, to perpetrate the scam.
#boston #bridal #scam #show #website
  • Profile picture of the author garbage66
    The amount of scamming is phenomenal.
    I noticed another one on Craigslist the other day that I almost fell for.

    Scammers advertising properties for rent. They pretend to be away in another country. They will be happy to send you the keys to the property if you deposit half the money to a Courier company. You never see these funds again... of course no keys.

    Eveyone should be extra careful on the Net as more scammers will surface.

    Thanks for the share.
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    • Profile picture of the author Silas Hart
      Originally Posted by garbage66 View Post

      The amount of scamming is phenomenal.
      I noticed another one on Craigslist the other day that I almost fell for.

      Scammers advertising properties for rent. They pretend to be away in another country. They will be happy to send you the keys to the property if you deposit half the money to a Courier company. You never see these funds again... of course no keys.

      Eveyone should be extra careful on the Net as more scammers will surface.

      Thanks for the share.
      I've got a better one for you.

      I had Just purchased a foreclosed property, the day I start to work on some of the windows getting ready to replace them, and Im in the back yard and a guy is standing on my front porch. I figure he will go away when I didnt answer the door, assuming it was some welcome wagon or something which is very common in small towns. Then I thought he might be an inspector checking out the house from the outside, but I didn't acknowledge him. I go about four houses down to the garage of one of my other rental properties and I see some people leave the front door. Apparently I left the door unlocked (He actually broke the lock on the door) and so I walk up to the house, and he asks me if I wanted to rent it from him!

      I was like "What the hell?" And he starts giving me a sales pitch about how hes so busy and has two more people coming to look, but whoever could give him $600 for the first months rent and $600 deposit could have the house. I tell him I own the house, shown him my paperwork from the city, and he pretends to be all angry and leaves. I call the cops, and they catch him. Turns out he had been doing it all over the place for a couple years, and he was actually in high school and the son of a cop. Two years later, this kid becomes a cop.
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  • Profile picture of the author scrofford
    Wow that's insane! But why didn't people question it if it was the first event called this and since there probably wasn't any TV or Radio ads concerning this? How come people would just go ahead and trust this? I sure wouldn't have unless I had seen ads around town and heard radio ads and seen TV ads. The bridal event here in my city airs ads on the radio, TV and the web.
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  • Profile picture of the author LilBlackDress
    Originally Posted by bgmacaw View Post

    Police: Fake bridal show signs up thousands



    Based on the numbers in the article I'd estimate the scammers took in around $100-120K from potential attendees and another $150K or so from vendors. Some estimates have placed it at around $275K.

    You have to wonder why PayPal's ever vigilant security department didn't catch this one. My guess is that most of the payments were in the $10-15 range at first and didn't raise any alarms and the bigger ones from vendors came in after the account was established.

    Also, the scammers used social media, Facebook and Twitter, to perpetrate the scam.
    Amazing though that the scam went on as long as it did and the Hynes Convention Center wasn't aware of it.
    Also the vendors who signed up - I wonder what kind of contracts they were given. Maybe they weren't given one which is a sign of something also.
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    • Profile picture of the author TinkBD
      Originally Posted by LilBlackDress View Post

      Amazing though that the scam went on as long as it did and the Hynes Convention Center wasn't aware of it.
      Also the vendors who signed up - I wonder what kind of contracts they were given. Maybe they weren't given one which is a sign of something also.
      In the case of convention center shows that I have done, all of the contracts and show information are signed with the organizing group, not the convention center.

      It is expected that the organizing group, and only the organizing group, has a contract with the convention center.

      Tink
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