International Institute of Weddings Warns Wedding Planners: Steer Clear of Phoney Clients

March 5, 2009 - PRLog -- Wedding planners have been falling victim to a widespread email scam, according to an advisory issued by The International Institute of Weddings. The scam follows a typical pattern; an individual posing as an out-of-town bride, groom, or parent of the bride or groom contacts a wedding planner, often via email, stating that they intend to host a wedding in the planner's city and are in need of the planner's services. The individual offers to send the wedding planner a cashier's check immediately to cover the cost of services, however, when the check arrives it is in an amount greater than the amount required. The "client" then instructs the wedding planner to go ahead and deposit the check, and provides instructions on where or whom to wire the excess funds.

The cashier's check turns out to fraudulent, and the wedding planner is out the money wired, as well as any other bills paid on the worthless check.

The International Institute of Weddings says it has received numerous reports from members who have been targeted by such emails.

"We caution all wedding planners to be very skeptical of any emails fitting this pattern, or of anything else that seems unusual, as new scams are circulating all the time", advises internationally recognized wedding expert Linda Kevich, director of The International Institute of Weddings. "All wedding professionals should be aware of this scam. Right now we are only hearing from wedding planners who have been targeted, however, it's quite likely that the scammers will try this approach on other wedding professionals as well".

The International Institute of Weddings is a professional association within the wedding industry that offers training and professional support to wedding planners and wedding professionals throughout the world.

Linda Kevich is an internationally recognized wedding expert and the developer one of the leading training programs for professional wedding planners. She is the creator and editor of SuperWeddings.com and the director of The International Institute of Weddings.

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About The International Institute of Weddings

The International Institute of Weddings is a professional association within the wedding industry that offers training and professional support to wedding planners and wedding professionals throughout the world.

Linda Kevich is an internationally recognized wedding expert and the developer one of the leading training programs for professional wedding planners. She is the creator and editor of SuperWeddings.com and the director of The International Institute of Weddings.