Published Jun 14, 2025 • Last updated 5 hours ago • 2 minute readExecutive Director Polina Puchkova is warning vendors and local businesses to watch out for a scammer impersonating the market’s email account and requesting money and credit card information. ContributedThe Charlottetown Farmers’ Market is warning vendors and local businesses to watch out for a scammer impersonating the market’s email account and requesting money and credit card information.Executive director Polina Puchkova said the scam is circulating through messages sent from a fake email address, charlottetownfarmersmarket@aol.com. The scammer claims booth space is available at the market and pressures people to send upfront payments or provide sensitive personal details.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle content“They’re asking for upfront payment from certain vendors, they’re (also) asking for money, either for an e-transfer or for their credit card information,” she said.“They’re using my name and my signature, and even the way that the emails are written, the person knows how I speak.”Multiple vendors contactedPuchkova first became aware of the scam after hearing from a vendor set to join the market this summer. That person had received a suspicious email and shared it with her. Since then, more people have come forward.“There has been around 15 people that have contacted me saying that they have been contacted by that email.”She said it’s unclear how much money may have been lost, but in one case the scammer asked for $190, saying it covered “multiple days” at the market although the response was vague and inconsistent.Some messages didn’t ask for money right away but instead asked vendors to “update” their forms, requesting personal details like addresses and CVV codes.Article contentWhat makes the scam especially convincing is how closely the fake email resembles official correspondence. Puchkova’s real email has the Gmail domain, while the scammer uses a near-identical version with an AOL domain.Puchkova said she’s unsure how the scammer got vendor information. Initially, she thought that someone gained access to an online platform the market uses to manage applications. But some of the people targeted weren’t even part of the market system, which makes the situation more confusing.Police notified, limited actionThe market has reported the scam to local police, but Puchkova said they were told there isn’t much that can be done beyond creating awareness and warning the public.“We did advise the vendors to contact their banks for their fraud departments to look into them. And some vendors have already done it prior to this, too.”Article contentShe encouraged anyone who receives a suspicious message to report it as a scam, forward it to the market, and avoid sending any personal or payment information.Puchkova stressed that the Charlottetown Farmers’ Market does not ask for upfront payment for booths or for credit card information via email.“We do have some gaps in products sometimes, and we would reach out to certain people. And then if people reach out to us, we have a late application. So, we do kind of receive applicants on an ongoing basis, but we do sometimes reach out to other businesses, but rarely.”Stay informed: Don’t miss the news you need to know. Sign up for our newsletter today.Vivian Ulinwa is a reporter for The Guardian in Prince Edward Island. She can be reached at vulinwa@postmedia.com and followed on X @vivian_ulinwa.Article content
Scam targets vendors by posing as Charlottetown Farmers’ Market
