Scam alert
Vendor Fee Calls for San Juan's Noche de Paz Aren't From the City
Posted
San Juan, Texas · sjtx.us · Arrives by a phone call
The short answer
A call offering you a vendor spot at a city event in exchange for a payment over the phone is the sign to stop. In October 2026, the City of San Juan, Texas, and the San Juan Economic Development Corporation said callers were falsely claiming to collect vendor payments or arrange vendor reservations for the city's Noche de Paz event. The city says it is not accepting payments, phone calls, or vendor reservations for Noche de Paz until further notice, and that the official vendor application will be posted online and selected vendors contacted directly.
What is happening
On October 7, 2026, FOX RGV reported that the City of San Juan, Texas, and the San Juan Economic Development Corporation (EDC) were cautioning residents and potential vendors about people falsely claiming to collect vendor payments or arrange vendor reservations for the upcoming Noche de Paz event. On October 8, the city posted its own notice saying it had received reports of scam callers contacting residents about vendor payments, and that it is not currently accepting payments, phone calls, or vendor reservations for Noche de Paz until further notice. As with last year, the city says the official vendor application will be posted online, and selected vendors will be contacted directly.
How to recognize it
- Someone calls offering a vendor spot or booth at a city event and asks you to pay on the phone.
- The call comes before the city has posted its vendor application. In San Juan, the city says the application will be posted online and selected vendors will be contacted directly.
- The only proof the call is real is the caller's word. San Juan says future vendor information will be posted through the city's and the EDC's official websites and social media pages.
What to do instead
- Do not pay or give card or bank details to someone who calls about a vendor spot.
- Look up vendor details on the city's own website or official social media pages. In San Juan, that is sjtx.us, and the city's phone number is (956) 223-2200.
- If you are not sure, call city hall on a number you look up yourself, not one the caller gives you.
- If you want to tell someone, the rule is: apply for a vendor spot through the city's own website, never through a call you did not expect.
If it already happened
Responding to one of these is common and understandable. These steps are what people usually take next.
- Paying to hold a vendor spot is common and understandable. These calls sound like ordinary event business.
- Call your bank or card company right away and ask whether the payment can be stopped or disputed.
- Tell the city or event organizer what happened. In San Juan, call (956) 223-2200.
- Report it to your local police and at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Common questions
- I sell at local events every year. How do I get a real spot at Noche de Paz?
- The City of San Juan says the official vendor application will be posted online, as it was last year, and selected vendors will be contacted directly. Until then, it is not accepting payments, phone calls, or vendor reservations for the event.
- The caller knew the name of the event. Doesn't that make it real?
- No. Event names are public, and anyone can use one on a call. FOX RGV reported that San Juan is asking residents and vendors to rely only on official City of San Juan and San Juan EDC channels for event updates.
Practice this safely
Practice ending a call that asks for money and checking with the organizer through its own website.
Every story is fictional. There is no timer, no score, and no real message, payment, or account.
Tell someone
Copy a short note you can paste into a text or email. It names the scam, the next step, and this page. Nothing is sent from this site.
Vendor Fee Calls for San Juan's Noche de Paz Aren't From the City A call offering you a vendor spot at a city event in exchange for a payment over the phone is the sign to stop. In October 2026, the City of San Juan, Texas, and the San Juan Economic Development Corporation said callers were falsely claiming to collect vendor payments or arrange vendor reservations for the city's Noche de Paz event. The city says it is not accepting payments, phone calls, or vendor reservations for Noche de Paz until further notice, and that the official vendor application will be posted online and selected vendors contacted directly. Read the full alert: https://endscamsproject.com/latest-scams/city-event-vendor-fee-scam
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