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The City of Port Colborne is warning potential Canal Days vendors, suppliers and local businesses to remain vigilant following a significant increase in reports of fraudulent emails and payment requests targeting festival participants.
In recent weeks, the City has received numerous reports of individuals impersonating City staff and Canal Days organizers through unofficial email accounts. In many cases, scammers are contacting vendors directly and requesting payment by e-transfer for vendor spaces or seeking personal or financial information.
The City is reminding all current and prospective vendors that official communications regarding Canal Days applications, payments and festival operations will only be sent from City of Port Colborne email addresses ending in **@portcolborne.ca**.
While these types of scams are not unique to Canal Days, the volume of reported incidents has increased as the festival approaches. The City is actively monitoring reports and working to raise awareness among vendors and festival participants.
To help protect against fraud, vendors are encouraged to:
- Confirm all emails come from an @portcolborne.ca address – the City of Port Colborne never uses Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, or similar accounts
- Only follow payment instructions provided directly by authorized City staff
- Never send e‑transfers, banking details, or personal information without verifying the request
- Be cautious of urgent payment demands or suspicious links
- When in doubt, call the City’s Customer Service team at 905‑835‑2900
The City’s systems remain secure; these scams are external impersonation attempts.
Anyone who receives a suspicious email or payment request related to Canal Days is urged to contact the City at 905‑835‑2900 for verification before taking any action.
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