Bridal show scam enrages brides-to-be and vendors

Posted: Mar 3, 2010 2:39 PM
Updated: Mar 3, 2010 2:39 PM

Brides-to-be and vendors are out thousands of dollars after an upcoming Boston, Massachusetts bridal show turned out to be a fake.

A fraudulent Web site that invited potential vendors and attendees to the non-existent Spring Home and Bridal Show at the Hynes Convention Center impacted close to 6,000 individuals and vendors according to the Boston Police Department.

A Web site called The Boston 411 invited attendees to the convention this coming weekend from March 5-7, promising elegant wedding displays, demonstrations, and samples.

Vendors from across the country paid thousands of dollars to reserve a booth.

Those who wanted to attend the event could reportedly pre-register for $10 - $15.

The site claims more than 6,000 people did pre-register, but police are still determining the number of victims.

"It's all a scam. There is no home show. The convention center caught wind of it, because they did not have something scheduled for that date... and some of the vendors started to call them, wanting to find out when they could bring their stuff in to work on," said Detective Steve Blair of the Boston Police Department.

Aram Orchanian of Aram O Photography found out about the bridal show online and paid $1,000 to participate in the convention and then an extra $2,000 more for materials to display at his booth.

This past Friday Orchanian found out that the show was a fraud from one of his colleagues.

"I asked them to call me, which they did. We talked for a little while. I asked every question I could think of, which I've asked every expo, and she was on top of everything. I said send me whatever paperwork I need to fill out. She said you just need to pay for it, and you do everything online. I was fine with that, so instead of giving her a check, which I usually do, I gave her the PayPal payment," said Orchanian.

Some fraud experts called The Boston 411 the best fake Web site they've ever seen.

The Boston Police Department is warning other potential vendors and attendees about the fake show, as well as reaching out to those who have already been victimized.

The police department will be working in conjunction with the FBI Cyber Crime Unit to investigate the Web site and its origin.

Victims can e-mail police at victims.bpd@cityofboston.gov.

Authorities ask that victims include their name and the amount that they paid in advance.

WEIRD NEWS on KSBY.com