At least 5,000 brides-to-be were jilted before ever reaching the altar – by the organizer of a weekend wedding extravaganza that cops said was scamming on their dreams.
And bridal vendors took an even bigger hit, thinking they could showcase their services at the “Boston 411 Home and Bridal Show” at the Hynes Convention Center this weekend.
Lavishly promoted on www.weddingwire.com, Facebook and Twitter, the show was a cleverly dressed-up sham, cops said.
“Everything looked legit. We don’t know how many victims are out there. That’s the problem,” said Detective Steven Blair of the Boston Police Special Investigations Unit. “It was probably one of the best Web sites I’ve seen.”
Police don’t know exactly how much was scammed from blushing brides and would-be vendors. They are looking for suspects but would not say who they are, how they are tracing them or where they might be.
Trusting brides prepaid $10 to $15 for tickets – believing a portion would benefit earthquake victims in Haiti. Blair said at least 200 vendors are out $50,000 after using credit cards to reserve booths for $350 to $4,000. Many booked hotel rooms and were flying in from around the country.
Scam victims the Herald spoke with – including Massachusetts Convention Center Authority executive director James Rooney – all dealt with a woman calling herself “Jamie Edwards,” police and victims said. It unclear whether that is her real name.
Rooney said the woman contacted a Hynes sales manager in October about available dates and a booking contract was sent to her at a Boston address to review. It came back as undeliverable.
“There were excuses,” Rooney said. Last week, he said, “Our sales manager just smelled something was wrong here, went online, found the Web site, and was horrified.” They called police in a desperate bid to stop the scamming of the brides.
“Jamie Edwards” did not respond yesterday to calls the Herald left on her voice mail.
DJ for hire Jimmy Jay, 60, of Weymouth said he sent Edwards $335 and lent his voice to a radio promo for the event in exchange for a booth.
“It blows my mind. I’m a pretty sharp cookie,” Jay said.
Kelly Delaney, owner of Cakes for Occasions in Danvers, said she never responded to e-mailed invites she received last year from Edwards. Yet, Cakes for Occasions was prominently featured as a vendor. “We had no idea,” she said.
Source: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1236529