TL;DR: Peak wedding planning and booking activity runs roughly from late spring through early fall, when couples are managing large budgets, dealing with unfamiliar vendors, and often making decisions on tight timelines. Verify any vendor's business registration and reviews before sending a deposit, and always confirm payment details by phone using a number you looked up independently, not one in the email itself.
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Peak wedding planning and booking activity runs roughly from late spring through early fall, when couples are managing large budgets, dealing with unfamiliar vendors, and often making decisions on tight timelines.
How the Scam Plays Out
Scammers set up fake venue, photography, or catering listings that require a deposit to hold the date, or intercept vendor email threads to send a spoofed invoice with different payment details right before a deposit is due.
How to Protect Yourself
Verify any vendor's business registration and reviews before sending a deposit, and always confirm payment details by phone using a number you looked up independently, not one in the email itself.
If this looks similar to something else you've seen, it's worth reading Year-End Bonus and Payroll Phishing Scams.
This pattern shows up elsewhere too — see Back-to-School Laptop and Device Scams.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does this typically happen?
Peak wedding planning and booking activity runs roughly from late spring through early fall, when couples are managing large budgets, dealing with unfamiliar vendors, and often making decisions on tight timelines.
What tactics are used?
Scammers set up fake venue, photography, or catering listings that require a deposit to hold the date, or intercept vendor email threads to send a spoofed invoice with different payment details right before a deposit is due.
How can I protect myself?
Verify any vendor's business registration and reviews before sending a deposit, and always confirm payment details by phone using a number you looked up independently, not one in the email itself.
What should I do if I’ve already been targeted?
Stop all payments immediately, contact your bank or card issuer to see if a transaction can be reversed or flagged, and report the incident to the appropriate consumer protection body.