Christmas Market Scam: Fraudsters Pose as Organisers to Steal Stallholders' Pitch Fees

Crowds at a previous Farnham Christmas Market. The council runs the event itself and says genuine pitch emails come only from @farnham.gov.uk (Credit: Farnham Town Council Website)

Fraudsters are posing as Christmas market organisers to take pitch fees from small traders, emailing fake booking invitations for a council-run market in Surrey and demanding £50 upfront for a Norfolk hotel's festive fair.

The same tactic has already cost traders money this year. In Wales, businesses paid fraudsters impersonating the Abergavenny Food Festival for pitches that did not exist.