Block the Fraud Initiative Gains Momentum
Canada's meetings and events industry is coming together through Block the Fraud, a collaborative initiative addressing fraud that targets event organizers, suppliers, exhibitors and attendees.
Fraudulent solicitations are becoming increasingly sophisticated. Scammers pose as legitimate event partners or service providers, offering attendee or exhibitor lists, unauthorized hotel bookings, directory listings, advertising and other event-related services, or sending false invoices. These schemes create confusion, expose organizations and individuals to financial and privacy risks, and undermine trust across the event experience.
An Industry-Wide Response
Six organizations have formed the Block the Fraud Industry Coalition:
- AMC Institute Canadian Chapter
- Canadian Association of Exposition Management (CAEM)
- Canadian Society of Association Executives (CSAE)
- CanSPEP – Canadian Society of Professional Event Planners
- MPI Toronto Chapter
- PCMA Canada East
Together, they are developing consistent fraud-prevention information to share with their members and the broader events community. The goal is simple: help our industry recognize fraud, respond appropriately and make it harder for scammers to succeed.
Building the Block the Fraud Toolkit
Work is underway on a practical toolkit for trade show and event managers, association professionals, event planners, suppliers, exhibitors and attendees. It is expected to include checklists, communication templates, warning signs, prevention strategies and resources organizations can adapt for their own communities.
The coalition is also exploring webinars, articles, newsletter content and a coordinated awareness campaign. Longer term, it will look at improving fraud reporting, identifying recurring patterns and better understanding the financial impact of fraud on the sector.
What You Can Do Now
If you receive a suspicious event-related communication:
- Do not engage. Don't reply, click unfamiliar links, share personal or financial information, or send payment.
- Verify the source. Contact the event organizer directly using details from the event's official website.
- Mark it as spam to help email providers catch similar messages.
- Report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and, for suspicious electronic messages, Canada's Spam Reporting Centre.
- Communicate proactively. Organizers should remind stakeholders how to identify official event communications and authorized suppliers.
- Share the warning with colleagues and industry partners.
Working Together to Block the Fraud
No single organization or sector can tackle fraud alone. By sharing information, educating our communities and communicating consistently, Canada's meetings and events industry can help people recognize suspicious activity, protect themselves and others, and strengthen trust across the event experience.
Recognize it. Report it. Share it. Block the Fraud.
More information and the Block the Fraud Toolkit will be shared as the initiative develops. Questions can be directed to blockthefraud@caem.ca.
