Warnings given after fake Windsor Christmas fayre scam post appears

A Royal Borough councillor has put out a warning after encountering a suspected scam based around a fake Christmas event in Windsor.

Councillor Alison Carpenter (tBfI, Clewer & Dedworth East) came across a post on Facebook claiming that the New Windsor Community Association will be running its Christmas Fayre this winter and is looking for traders.

The entry invites people to private message the person who wrote the post – where people are then sent a link to a Google form, with the aim of collecting money ostensibly to fund a stallholder.

Cllr Carpenter’s radar was alerted by the fact that she had not heard anything about it – especially given its closeness in time to another Christmas Fair she is involved in organising.

There is an officially scheduled Christmas Fair at Clewer Memorial Recreation Ground, planned for November 26.

“There was something not right about it,” said Cllr Carpenter. “I asked [the person posting the event] if it was for a charity or community group. And then they blocked me.”

Cllr Carpenter also happens to be on the committee of the New Windsor Community Association – and after making some enquiries, was able to confirm that no such event was billed.

As well as wanting to protect people from forking money over to a scammer, she is concerned the false entry discredits legitimate events and makes people distrustful of genuine event postings. Since then, Cllr Carpenter said she has heard of similar scams being run in Slough, Wokingham, Henley and elsewhere.

“It’s scary how many scams there are,” she said. “Trying to target a Christmas fair, something everyone enjoys – it is just so poor.”

To avoid falling into this trap, people seeing events on the social media could check if forms and suchlike are attached to the websites of known organisations.

If in doubt, Cllr Carpenter urges people to ask their ward councillor, who will be able to check if an event is genuine.

The Royal Borough’s Trading Standards team advises checking if someone you’re sending money to is a business or person.

A search online could bring up complaints and reviews made by others. It might be a scam if there is no business address; if you’ve been asked to transfer money quickly; or you’ve been asked to pay through a transfer service or in an unusual way.