This fake Christmas bazaar scam in Aventura is about as bizarre as it gets
There’s a bizarre new scam spreading through Aventura advertising a “Christmas Bazaar” that is looking for vendors. Police are looking for those involved that are trying to prey on residents.
The scam is a tad more elaborate than the run of the mill email chain or “renew car warranty” phone call. Showrunners of a fake Christmas Bazaar, supposedly running from Nov. 26 to 27 in Veterans Park, was asking for vendors of all kinds to contact them to be part of the event.
“Calling all types of Vendors!” the fake poster read. “Food trucks, crafters, family activities and more. Please let me know if you are interested in expanding your business.”
Several Aventura city officials were alerted to the scam spreading on several social media sites and they quickly corrected the record.
“This event is NOT REAL nor is it a sanctioned permitted City of Aventura event,” Aventura police tweeted. “ DO NOT try to book anything with individuals posting this announcement.”
Evan Ross, City of Aventura’s director of communications, said he hasn’t seen a scam like this, one conjuring up an entire fake event, since he started working for the city.
“The holiday season is a time that, unfortunately, far too many people come out of the woodwork to take advantage of others,” Ross said. “We encourage people to embrace the holiday season and not do harm to others.”
It’s unclear what the scammers are trying to get, but Ross thinks once a vendor contacts the scammer they will ask for money in exchange for fake services.
Ross wants scammers to know that the city has a robust police department that will investigate and seek out those who create and spread scams.
In the fake bazaar case, police are already asking the public to send them any information regarding those who created it. Those who know anything should contact Aventura Police at 305-466-8989.
Ross says residents should keep in mind that any city event will have a point of contact that will be either a phone number for City Hall, 305-466-8900, or an email address that ends in “cityofaventura.com”.
Any residents that think they have stumbled on a new scam in Aventura can text the city at 305-677-8878 to verify it is real.
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