GRAHAMSVILLE, NY ― The Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents of a scam associated with the Town of Neversink Winterfest scheduled for Saturday, February 12,  at the Grahamsville Fairgrounds. According to Undersheriff Eric Chaboty, a fake profile on Facebook is soliciting vendors at a cost of $60 each to reserve space at the festival. The scammers set up a phony PayPal account to collect the vendor fee.

“The Town of Neversink does not charge vendors to set up at the Winterfest”, said Chaboty. “There is an application process with the town, but it does not involve money”.

Town officials alerted the sheriff’s office to the scam just as the first person was about to send money. “We got the PayPal account shut down right away but Facebook is refusing to disable the fake profile. They sent a message saying that the Facebook account does not violate community standards”, said Chabody. Residents who have questions about the Winterfest are encouraged to contact the Town of Neversink’s Parks & Recreation Department at 845/985-2262,  ext. 312 or email cwparksandrec@gmail.com

The matter is still under investigation by the sheriff’s office.