Norwalk Oyster Festival Scam Alert: Protect Yourself

0:00In Hartford, it's March 21st, and here's what is going on. The Better Business Bureau in Connecticut is alerting people to a scam pretending to be from the Norwalk Oyster Festival. It's targeting vendors who took part in past events, using real details about the festival to seem legit. Scammers are asking for vendor applications and booth fees through unusual payment methods like digital wallets. The fraud started before last September's festival and is picking up again now ahead of this year's event. The fake outreach came through social media ads and emails from addresses not linked to the official group. Officials believed the scammers got contact info from old vendor lists. Jerry Tony, the executive director of the Norwalk Seaport Association, reported the issue and stressed how easy it is for anyone online to pull this. Off, he's working with local police and the city health department to watch for fake food permits tied to the scam. Real vendors have already been hit, losing money with no way to recover it.

1:00To stay safe, always check the official festival website at seaport.org slash Norwalk Oyster Festival or call to 03-838-9444 to verify before paying. Stick to emails ending in seaport.org, avoid peer-to-peer apps especially friends and family options and research any organizer thoroughly. Festival organizers urge everyone to pick up the phone and confirm details instead of reacting to the first message you see and report suspicious. Contacts to the Better Business Bureau scam tracker right away.