Edinburgh locals are being targeted in a slick scam involving a fake craft affair at a local church, Edinburgh Live can reveal.
Online fraudsters selling plots at the bogus event at St Martin of Tours Episcopal Church in Dalry Road to unsuspecting stallholders for £50 a pop. But church leaders have confirmed no such event exists and police have been called in.
The phantom three-day craft fair was publicly promoted on social media and was supposedly to be held at the church next month from April 21 to 23.
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Con artists plugged the event on the Craft Fairs in Edinburgh and Lothians Facebook page and were seeking local independent businesses to take part in the fair. One savvy stall holder told Edinburgh Live how she was nearly duped before rumbling the ruse.
Eve Grey, 65, founder of Coach House Soap and Preserves, saw the event advertised and was interested in applying for the event. After contacting the event organiser, Eve said they got back to her very quickly and showed lots of interest in her coming along.
Eve grew suspicious after speaking to the alleged organisers on Facebook and called the church to double check if the craft fair was genuine. The church confirmed that there were no events booked on those dates.
After confronting the scammer about the event, Eve was harassed for £50 before being blocked by the organisers. She said “I have been scammed before but that was two years ago by a similar person. When she sent me the bank details to pay for my stall, I looked and I just knew it was a scam.”
“I made sure to tell the events Facebook site, Craft Fairs in Edinburgh and Lothians. I wasn’t shocked this time but by the time I spoke to the people at the church and looked at the bank details I knew it was a scam.”
Edinburgh resident Lindsey Allen is involved in the church and took to social media to warn others about the event. She said: “A lot of people have worked very hard to create a wonderful community resource and it’s heartbreaking to see their name being brought into this.”
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A spokesperson for St Martin's said: “We can confirm there is no booking for a craft event at the centre on the dates advertised.
“We only became aware of this event when people started posting warnings of this scam on social media. We have informed the police and we sincerely hope no one has fallen victim of the scam.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Around 7.25 pm on Saturday, 25 March 2023, a report was made to police regarding a potentially fraudulent Facebook post. Enquiries are at a very early stage."
The organisers who advertised the event on social media have been contacted for a comment.
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