Popular Distillery Winter Village warns vendors about expanding scam targeting holiday markets
Fraudsters are impersonating market organizers across Canada, requesting vendor application fees via fake emails and Eventbrite listings.
Sources · local media reports
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Small businesses hoping to secure a spot at Ontario's holiday markets are being warned about an escalating scam targeting vendors nationwide, with fraudsters impersonating the Distillery Winter Village and other popular seasonal events.
The Distillery Historic District in Toronto says scammers are now posing as market organizers through sophisticated email schemes and fraudulent event listings. "Last year we found out that there were people pretending to be the Distillery Winter Village by starting their own website," said Rik Ocvirk of the Distillery Historic District. "When you would click on any of the links, it all went to gambling websites."
This year the fraud has evolved. The latest wave surfaced when a past vendor alerted the Distillery team to fake "Distillery Makers Festival" and "Distillery Artisan Expo" listings on Eventbrite. Both were reported and removed, but the scammers simply shifted tactics.
About a month ago, vendors received emails from addresses like distillerywintervillage@gmail.com and info.distillerywintervillage@gmail.com with subject lines saying "Invitation to apply." The emails included Google Forms applications closely resembling the legitimate Distillery Winter Village vendor form. One vendor completed the application and was told they'd been accepted—then instructed to send a $1,500 deposit via Interac e-transfer to wintervillagedistillery@gmail.com.
The vendor sent the funds but was later refunded by their bank once fraudulent activity was identified. "These are literally mom and pops... that don't have $1,500 bucks to lose," Ocvirk said.
Ocvirk's investigation revealed the scam extends far beyond Toronto. "It's happening across the country where all of the festivals, not just Winter Villages or Christmas markets, but small little craft festivals are being taken advantage of," he said. "They're literally just reaching out, pretending to be the local craft fair... and then taking that money and obviously disappearing."
In response, the Distillery has updated its vendor application process and is alerting the market community about red flags: legitimate organizers will never ask for payment via personal email addresses or unsecured money transfer apps.
How should vendors verify they're communicating with the legitimate Distillery Winter Village organizers?
Where should vendors report suspected scams?
We'll update this story as answers emerge.
At a glance
What scam is targeting holiday market vendors in Canada?
Fraudsters are impersonating market organizers like the Distillery Winter Village, sending fake vendor application emails and creating fraudulent event listings to request application fees via personal email addresses and Interac e-transfer.
How much money did one vendor lose in the scam?
$1,500 was requested as a deposit from a vendor who received a fake application acceptance email from wintervillagedistillery@gmail.com, though the vendor's bank later refunded the funds once fraudulent activity was identified.
Where is the Distillery Winter Village located?
The Distillery Historic District, which runs the Distillery Winter Village, is located in Toronto, Ontario.
