Planted contacts
Know exactly which list leaked, and who had it
We create made-up people for you. Hide a different one in each list you hand over, to a hotel, a partner, a platform or your own mailing list. If anyone ever contacts one of them, you know exactly which copy got out.
| Name | Company | |
|---|---|---|
| Ama Mensah | Northlight | ama@northlight… |
| Tom Reilly | Kestrel AV | tom@kestrelav… |
| Priya Sharma | Vale Studio | priya@… |
| Jon Hughes | Fabrik | jon@fabrik… |
The problem
Your attendee list is the most valuable thing a scammer can get
With your list, a scammer knows exactly who to email, what they’re attending and when. The hotel offers and fake invoices that follow are far more convincing.
Lists pass through many hands: hotels, caterers, apps, badge printers, sponsors and agencies. When one leaks, it’s almost impossible to say where from. So it carries on.
How it works
4 simple steps
Make a set of contacts
Realistic made-up people, one set for each list you share.
Hide them in the list
Add the rows before you hand the list over.
We watch quietly
Nobody should ever contact these people.
You’re told who leaked it
The moment one is contacted, with what they were sent.
A different contact in every copy
Give each partner their own planted contacts, and a leak points straight back to the copy it came from. You see what was sent, when, and by whom, so you can raise it with the right people and warn your attendees about exactly what to expect.
- Realistic names and companies
- One set per list, per partner or per platform
- See the email the planted contact received
| Name | Company | |
|---|---|---|
| Ama Mensah | Northlight | ama@northlight… |
| Tom Reilly | Kestrel AV | tom@kestrelav… |
| Priya Sharma | Vale Studio | priya@… |
| Jon Hughes | Fabrik | jon@fabrik… |
Watch your own lists too
Add planted contacts to your own mailing lists and registration platforms. If someone gets hold of them and starts sending, you’ll know before your attendees start forwarding you strange offers.
- Spot a leak from your own systems early
- No change to how you run your lists
- Stop or replace a set any time
The hotel list
An organiser shares a rooming list with three hotels, each with its own planted contact. Six weeks later, one planted contact receives an offer of “discounted delegate rooms” from a stranger. The organiser now knows which hotel’s copy leaked, raises it with them directly, and warns attendees about that exact offer before most of them see it.
Questions people ask
Will the planted contacts look fake?
No. They look like ordinary people at ordinary companies, so they blend into your list.
Where do the planted contacts’ emails go?
To us, privately. We don’t publish how they work, so they can’t be filtered out.
Does it use anyone’s real details?
No. The planted contacts are made up, so no real person’s details are involved.
Can I use them on platforms, not just spreadsheets?
Yes. Add them anywhere you can add a contact: event apps, registration systems, CRMs and partner portals.
Works even better with
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Protect your event today. It’s free.
Set up in an afternoon. Your exhibitors and attendees get a place to check what’s really you, and you get an early warning when someone uses your name.