Please beware!
Exhibition Directory Scam
In recent years, a small number of our exhibitors have alerted us to a scam style business activity.
The global association of the exhibition industry, UFI, asks exhibitors and organisers to:
‘be advised, be vigilant, beware, in any dealings with:
- Expo Guide
- FairGuide.com
- Construct Data Verlag
and other questionable practices
To summarise the scam:
Exhibitors are sent a letter and order form for a listing in a directory that the publisher’s claim will ‘guarantee problem-free communication to all visitors’. This is not only an outrageous claim for a company with no affiliation to any organiser or marketing association - there are also significant costs attached to the order – detailed only in the small print.
Click here to see an example of the letter and order form sent by Expo Guide.
If you receive correspondence from Expo Guide, Fairguide or Construct Data Verlag, we strongly recommend that you ignore it.
For more advice and guidance on this matter (from UFI), please click here.
Email Fraud
We have been alerted by the Metropolitan Police in London that details of the ITE Group are being used for fraudulent purposes. This practice is popularly known as phishing (or physhing).
The subject matter of the bogus emails focuses on ITE’s need to recruit overseas agents.
*** ITE does not recruit agents via unsolicited email or fax campaigns ***
Recent information suggests that the fraudsters are requesting newly recruited agents.
Anyone interested will receive a cheque for a large amount of money (this cheque is fake and will bounce) from a fake company who is allegedly a client of the fraudsters.
Victims get to receive a 10% commission for their efforts in processing the transaction, forwarding a cheque worth 90% of the transaction to the fraudsters.
The fake cheque will bounce and the fraudsters disappear. DO NOT exchange personal or company bank account details, or send cheques to anyone recruiting agents via email or fax on behalf of ITE.
The fraudsters often use ITE Fabric Trading Company as their disguise.
This company does not exist.
If you are unfortunate enough to receive any unsolicited correspondence of this nature, we strongly advise that you delete or ignore it.
If you would like to check the validity of any correspondence that purports to be from ITE, please forward it to [email protected].
For more information about ‘phishing’, please visit the Anti Phishing Working Group at www.antiphishing.org
For more details about this specific type of scam (known as 419 advance fee fraud), visit www.met.police.uk/fraudalert/419.htm
