The Okotoks & District Chamber of Commerce is warning of a potential email scam.

They've been made aware of the email being sent to multiple businesses participating in their upcoming Trade & Lifestyle Show.

The email offers a full list containing vendor names, email addresses, company names, websites, phone numbers, and titles, with the sender offering to send 'the cost and additional details.'

The chamber's executive director Dawn LeMaistre says the email was first brought to her attention about a week ago when a vendor forwarded the email to her.

"We have not publicized our vendor list or have a list of potential attendees for the show, so I just said 'no, I would just disregard it, delete it, and don't reply."

Other red flags that stood out to her were the fact that the event is referred to as the 'Trade & Lifestyle Expo' in the email, with a listed registrant count of 10,000 (a sizable overestimate compared to previous years according to LeMaistre.)

LeMaistre was soon notified of other vendors having received the email, with someone also taking issue with the email, thinking the chamber was selling vendor information.

She believes a scammer may have found some vendors attending the event via social media, and then acquired their email addresses online.

Other chambers of commerce have encountered similar situations, says LeMaistre.

"I had a meeting with the executive directors with chambers across Alberta, a weekly Zoom meeting, and I threw it out there to see if any of the other chambers had had something similar for their shows just recently gone by or coming up in the next couple of weeks, and it sounds like there are a couple out there trying to do the same thing and it's not uncommon to see. It's something where people are fishing through social media and pulling off people who are participating."

The chamber has notified its members of the email and is hoping to spread the word.

Their Trade & Lifestyle Show is being held on May 6 and 7 at the Okotoks Recreation Centre.