It’s wedding season and wedding planning is in full swing for couples seeking to tie the knot over the next few months. Speaking of wedding planning, I just read a timely article about wedding scams that are making the rounds. As someone who has worked in the industry for more than 20 years, I have heard of some of these scams, and never heard of others. So I thought I’d write a quick post about what to look out for and how to avoid becoming a victim, whether you’re a wedding vendor or a bride.
Accidental Overpayment
One of the newest scams targeting wedding vendors and event planners is referred to as “accidental overpayment.” This is when a supposed bride or groom contacts a vendor purporting to throw an extravagant wedding and tricks the vendor into sending money from a bad check she deposits.
Here’s how this scam works: a bride and groom contacts a vendor about providing services for their wedding and sends a check for more than what is required. They then claim the overpayment was an accident and ask the vendor to deposit the check, and then ask for the vendor to “refund” them for the overpayment. However, instead of sending the refund directly to the couple, they ask the vendor to send the refund to another business that is supposedly working with the couple. That payment goes through, but the original check bounces and the vendor is out that money.