Attendee list scams
“We have your event’s attendee list.” No, they don’t.
Almost every exhibitor gets the email: buy the full delegate list, with contact details, at a special price. Most of these lists are fake or scraped. Some aren’t. SummitShield helps you warn exhibitors and spot a real leak.
| Name | Company | |
|---|---|---|
| Ama Mensah | Northlight | ama@northlight… |
| Tom Reilly | Kestrel AV | tom@kestrelav… |
| Priya Sharma | Vale Studio | priya@… |
| Jon Hughes | Fabrik | jon@fabrik… |
How the scam works
It usually goes like this
“Verified delegate list”
12,450 contacts, today only.
A few real-looking names
Often scraped from a public page.
Paid upfront
For a list that’s useless, or never arrives.
Your name on it
And exhibitors who think you sold their data.
Red flags to look out for
If you see any of these, stop and check before you pay or reply.
- An offer to sell your attendee or exhibitor list
- A suspiciously exact number of contacts
- A sender with no link to the event
- Pressure to pay before a deadline
- Nothing on the event website about it
What to tell your exhibitors
Five habits that stop these scams. Copy them into your next newsletter.
- 1Never pay a new bank account without checking it with us first
- 2Check any email, website or number on our check page
- 3Look for the stamp on our invoices, and click it
- 4Forward anything that feels wrong to our check address
- 5Only use the suppliers listed as official
How SummitShield helps
Protection at every step
Planted contacts
Know for certain if your real list leaked, and from where.
How it worksCheck page and check address
Exhibitors check the offer and are told it’s not you.
How it worksScam alerts across events
List sellers seen at other events are recognised.
How it worksTrack down and report
Report the seller’s domain and email account.
How it worksGenuine email record
Your real exhibitor emails confirmed as genuine, so the offers stand out.
How it worksProtection plan and score
Nobody can send a list offer from your exact address.
How it worksLive example
See how an event shows its official suppliers and known scams
Try the official directory and scam check for a made-up event. Paste one of its scam addresses and see the instant answer, browse its official suppliers, and see the scams already reported.
Questions people ask
Are event attendee list sales a scam?
Unless the organiser is selling it, yes. Organisers rarely sell attendee lists, and data protection law limits what can be shared. Most offers are fake or scraped lists.
How do I know if my attendee list has leaked?
Plant made-up contacts in every list you share. If one is contacted, you know the list leaked and exactly which copy it came from.
Other scams we help stop
The scams that follow events around
Event email scams
Protect your exhibitors and attendees from event email scams: fake invoices, hotel offers, attendee list sales and “official” partner emails.
Read morePhone and text scams
Phone scams target event exhibitors with fake housing, directory and stand calls.
Read moreHotel and room scams
Room poachers and fake housing bureaux target exhibitors and attendees with cheap hotel offers.
Read moreFake event websites
Fake event websites sell tickets, stands and rooms in your name.
Read moreInvoice and payment scams
Fake stand invoices and “new bank details” emails cost exhibitors thousands.
Read moreThe 8 most common event scams
A plain guide to how each one works, the signs to look for and how to stop it.
Read the guideFree for event organisers
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.