Nova ScotiaThe scam offered businesses a spot at a vendor market at the upcoming QMJHL home opener in exchange for a fee.Businesses offered a spot in a vendor market at upcoming home opener in exchange for $150Brittany Wentzell · CBC News · Posted: Sep 09, 2025 2:40 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours agoSomeone posed as an employee of the Cape Breton Eagles franchise and offered small businesses a spot in a vendor market at the upcoming home opener at Centre 200 in Sydney. (CBC)Someone posing as an employee with the Cape Breton Eagles has scammed at least two small businesses, promising them exposure at the upcoming QMJHL home opener in Sydney, N.S.Emails sent to businesses in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality asked for $150 in exchange for a spot in a vendor market at Centre 200 on Sept. 26, when the Eagles face off against the Moncton Wildcats.For Tara Donovan, owner of Not Just Cakes Sweet Studio, the fee seemed too good to be true.”Eagles games generate a lot of people and guests to their event. So to be in one spot with so many people going through their doors, that’s definitely an enticing price for a small business, small maker, to sell their wares there,” she said.Donovan was initially excited by the opportunity but she became suspicious after some emails back and forth, particularly over some of the language being used. “It wasn’t quite adding up,” she said. “Instead of saying what we know at Centre 200 as the concourse, they called it the stadium.”That’s when she decided to cross-reference the scammer’s AOL email address with the real employee’s address on the Eagles’ website and found it wasn’t the same. Eagles manager Joey Hadad said employees first became aware of the issue when two business owners showed up at Centre 200 on Monday morning saying they had meetings scheduled with staff there — an assertion made in the emails from the scammer.Hadad said unfortunately those two companies lost money as a result of the scam. Staff with the Eagles notified Cape Breton Regional Police, who Hadad said are looking into the matter. “We don’t know how many emails went out. Two companies in particular were a little bit more affected. They went a little bit further down the road,” said Hadad.”Some businesses realized right away when they did see that AOL.com email that it wasn’t correct.”The franchise also put out a statement on their Facebook page, stating they were not planning a vendor market for their home opener.In a Facebook post, the owner of a local café and dessert shop said they had fallen victim to the scam and instead asked customers to consider visiting the business on their way to the next Eagles game.They declined an interview request.Hadad said he wants the business community to be aware that emails will only ever come from addresses from their official website and that business relationships will generally involve meetings online or in person before money is exchanged. ABOUT THE AUTHORBrittany is originally from Liverpool, N.S., but now calls Cape Breton home. As a reporter for Cape Breton’s Information Morning, Brittany breaks down the issues of the day and documents the stories of the island for early morning listeners. What’s going on in your community? Email brittany.wentzell@cbc.ca
Fraudster posing as Cape Breton Eagles staff targeting small businesses
