NSA warns against scams linked to sheep events
4th April 2022
NSA is aware of a recent influx of emails being sent to commercial companies offering to sell contact details of exhibitors booked in for NSA Sheep 2022 and/or NSA Scot Sheep. These emails are not linked to NSA and are sent by rogue operators trying to dishonestly obtain income. NSA categorically states that it never shares contact details of people who make trade stand bookings, other than the promotional information we have permission to put on the event website.
Helen Roberts, NSA Sheep Event Organiser, says: “We apologise that our loyal trade exhibitors and sponsors are receiving emails claiming to have data from NSA – but unfortunately there is nothing we can do to stop these scammers. Regardless of what they claim, they absolutely have not received any data from us and do not have our permission to promote services using NSA events. Please delete any emails you receive. Any legitimate emails about NSA events will carry the NSA, NSA Sheep Event or NSA Scottish Region logo, and will not come from a third party.”
Update - June 2022
Over and above the companies partaking in this fraudulent activity (including but not limited to tradefair-lead.com, trade-explore.com, ecomktleads.com and grabworld.live) NSA has more recently become aware of one illegally using the NSA logo on its emails. This company has been instructed to immediately desist. NSA repeats that any legitimate emails will not come from a third party.
Postal scam
Another scam to be aware of, that rears its head at semi-regular intervals but does not appear to currently be as popular as it was, sees companies and organisations that have supported NSA sheep events in the past receive a pre-populated form in the post offering free advertising in an 'International Fairs Directory' or 'Expo Guide' – see example below. The form does not carry an NSA logo but instead has an address at the bottom for a company registered in Mexico, Costa Rica or another non-European country. While the suggestion is that advertising is free, the small print says anyone returning the form (using the freepost address and/or envelope provided) will be charged in the region of €1,200 per year for three years 'or it’s monetary equivalent in a currency chosen by the publisher'. Any correspondence from an International Fairs Directory, Expo Guide or any using a non-UK address should be assumed to be fraudulent.
Mrs Roberts continues: "Any correspondence NSA sends out by post regarding its sheep events is clearly identified with our name, logo and full address (including the postcode). If you receive anything that is not clearly branded as coming from NSA please ignore it. It is very frustrating that these fraudsters continue to use our name. Please do not be taken in by the scam and always look out for the NSA logo on all correspondence."
