A San Diego food truck vendor says scammers posed as “December Nights” event planners and used a fake website to nearly steal his money.<\/p>\n
Jerry Villasenor, owner of Tiki’s Shaved Ice & Ice Cream, has operated his food truck for about a year and a half. As the holidays approach, he was looking for opportunities to prepare his business for the season.<\/p>\n
“You figure a Christmas event in San Diego, the weather is still nice. So for us, we sell snow cones in the rain. We know we are gonna do well,” Villasenor said.<\/p>\n
Villasenor said he received an email from someone he believed was Christy Nunes, the event coordinator for December Nights, the holiday event held at Balboa Park.<\/p>\n
The event attracts hundreds of thousands of people, and Villasenor said the opportunity appeared legitimate.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe clicked on it, looked official. Looks exactly like the website that you go to December Nights from the city. And you can tell they just used AI to copy the website.”<\/p>\n
The scammers’ website even included the correct logo. Villasenor said he paid an invoice through Zelle, but his bank flagged the transaction as potential fraud.<\/p>\n
He said he even messaged the scammers back in an attempt to fix the problem.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you’re excited about getting to DECEMBER nights, and you’re seeing that the window might open to get in, you know, you don’t really stop at it,” he said.<\/p>\n
Villasenor said he became suspicious after calling the city and being unable to reach anyone who handled the event.<\/p>\n
That was when he realized he had been scammed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, the first thing you think of is obviously they’re trying to steal your money, but you think, why can’t they apply as much effort into something positive?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
The city told NBC 7 it is aware of the scam. Anyone interested in participating in December Nights must submit an application through the verified portal at DECEMBERNIGHTS.ORG<\/a>.<\/p>\n Anyone who believes they have been targeted in the scam should contact the city’s Special Events team.<\/p>\n At last check, the link Villasenor received from the alleged organizers was still active.<\/p>\n Villasenor said he also submitted an application through the legitimate website after learning what happened.<\/p>\n \u201cJust to help all the other food truck vendors and participants, because I’m sure it’s not just food truck vendors they’re targeting.\u201d<\/p>\n The following is the full statement from the city: “The City of San Diego has been made aware of a fraudulent online account impersonating contracted event personnel and soliciting payment to participate in the City\u2019s annual December Nights event. The account is not associated with the City, its contractor or the City\u2019s official vendor application process.\u201d<\/p>\n All vendors interested in participating in December Nights must submit an official interest application form through a verified portal at DecemberNights.org<\/a>. After clicking \u201cApply to Be a Food\/Retail Vendor,\u201d vendors are directed to the correct link<\/a>.<\/p>\n Once a vendor\u2019s interest form is reviewed and approved, our contractor sends an official registration link directly from their verified JotForm system. At no point does the City or its contractor request payment through Zelle, personal money transfers, or any other peer\u2011to\u2011peer platforms. Any such request should be considered fraudulent.<\/p>\n