Fake Montreal music festival advertising $600 tickets online
The so-called "Festival Aurora," which boasts performers like Harry Styles, is not what it claims to be, various sources confirmed to CTV News Friday morning.
Want to see Harry Styles, Doja Cat and SZA in Montreal this summer? Don't hold your breath.
The so-called "Festival Aurora" is not what it claims to be, various sources confirmed to CTV News Friday morning.
Glossy Instagram posts say the festival will occur in Montreal's Old Port on June 1, 2, and 3. Tickets range from roughly $370 to $630.
The fake "Festival Aurora" claims it will have appearances from artists like Harry Styles and Doja Cat on Instagram.
But a spokesperson for the Old Port says no such event is taking place.
"We confirm that the Aurora Festival is fraudulent, no one from the Société du Vieux-Port de Montréal has been contacted by the organizers of this event," Kaven Gauthier wrote in an email.
The festival boasts sponsorships from major brands like Pepsi and American Express (AMEX).
But, like the Old Port, AMEX denies any relationship with the event.
"American Express is not a sponsor and is in no way affiliated with 'Aurora Festival.' Any use of our logo in relation to this festival has been used without our permission," reads a statement from Lauren Dineen-Duarte, vice president of corporate affairs and communications at AMEX.
Pepsi's parent company, PepsiCo, has yet to respond to a request for comment.
As of early Friday morning, tickets to the faux fest were still available for purchase on the website Cenari.ca. By 10:30 a.m., the entire website was taken down.
Groupe Cenari Inc., an event promotion company, is listed on Quebec's official registry of enterprises.
The company has yet to respond to a request for comment.
Tickets for the fake "Festival Aurora" were sold on Cenari.ca. The website has since been taken down.
Festival Aurora does not have its own dedicated website or contact information. CTV News reached out for comment through its Instagram page and did not receive a reply.
Montreal police (SPVM) told CTV News that it had received a "very small number of complaints related to an event advertised this summer in the Old Port of Montréal," adding that for confidentiality reasons, it would not confirms if an investigation is underway.
The police service also cautioned Montrealers to be cautious of scams.
"In general, the number of complaints related to fraudulent ads of all kinds, whether on social media or on the web in general, has been on the rise in recent years. We encourage people to be very vigilant when shopping online and to check as much information as possible. For more prevention tips, we invite you to consult the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre website," it said.
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