Tourism P.E.I. is warning people about a phone scam targeting advertisers in the province’s Visitors’ Guide.
The tourism body became aware of the scam late last month after two clients reported suspicious calls.
In both cases, the caller was a real person and not a robo-call, said an official from Tourism P.E.I. in an email. The scammer identified themselves as either “Blue Media” or “Universal Media.” The businesses contacted were asked to pay for advertisements that they had taken out with Tourism P.E.I., ads that the department says had already been purchased.
Cheryl Paynter, CEO of Tourism P.E.I., first shared a warning about the scam last week in a Facebook post.
“Any calls regarding ads, listings or advertising would come directly from the Tourism P.E.I. office in Charlottetown,” Paynter warned on social media.
The department also advised any businesses that do receive calls asking for advertisement payments to contact the Tourism P.E.I. office directly “to ensure what is being asked of them did indeed come from Tourism P.E.I.”
“We do not use third parties for this type of transaction,” an email from a Tourism P.E.I. official said, adding that “the calls would always come directly from our office.”
The Tourism Industry Association of Prince Edward Island has forwarded the government’s warning to all of their members and the scam phone calls have been reported to the police.
