RICHMOND, Va. -- The organizers of a popular Richmond festival are warning about scammers trying to sell tickets to their free event. Organizers posted the warning on the Scott's Addition Pumpkin Festival Facebook page on Tuesday.
"Attention! There are people claiming to have tickets to sell to the Pumpkin Festival. Don’t be fooled as this is a free event and there are no tickets needed! We have contacted the police as well as Facebook about this activity! Pumpkin Festival is FREE to attend and there are no tickets to buy to get in," the post read.
The festival held between West Leigh and Marshall Streets on the Arthur Ashe Boulevard has been free to everyone since 2013.
Barry Moore, President and CEO of the local Better Business Bureau, said scammers will use any opportunity to get ahead.
"It’s a shame that when you have local community events there’s always someone trying to make a buck," Moore explained. "Nothing surprises us at the Better Business Bureau. We deal with a lot of complaints and a lot of issues like this."
He urged people to do their research before committing to a ticket purchase.
"If someone approaches you to buy a ticket make sure it’s an event you have to pay for," Moore stated. "Are they the vendor themselves? A sponsor? Or someone you have no idea who they are."
Moore applauded the pumpkin festival organizers for warning the public about the scam.
"It’s always good to reinforce these common-sense approaches to going to public events," he said. "Reputation is everything and more so community events that make want people to come back year after year."
The 2019 Scott's Addition Pumpkin Festival will be held from noon until 6 p.m. Saturday.
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