Friends of the North Trail Community Library in Cherry Township say people have been impersonating organizers of the Handmade Christmas Craft Show online and soliciting money from interested vendors by email.

Library director Kathy Kline and Pam Fry, Friends of the North Trail Community Library treasurer and event organizer, said they will file a report with state police.

Fry said she was first made aware of a possible scam involving the Handmade Christmas Craft Show when someone reached out to the organization over Facebook, having heard the event was being organized by someone named Cecelia. There is no one in the organization by that name, Fry said.

In another incident last week, Fry said, a Saxonburg resident and interested vendor contacted the organization to confirm a $60 payment she thought she had made to craft show organizers.

The craft show, which takes place on Dec. 2, will benefit the library.

“It’s really upsetting,” Fry said. “It’s upsetting they’d be taking money away from people raising money.”

An email circulating around the county appears to impersonate craft show organizers, asking interested vendors to fill out an attached Google form.

The email, sent from Brenda Antonieta, contains several grammatical and spelling errors. The Google form incorrectly lists Apple Pay, CashApp and PayPal as payment methods for the craft show, Fry said. Different names are listed for each payment method, and the names associated with messages never repeat, she said.

Butler County Sheriff Michael Slupe said suspicious emails may contain misspellings or will capture a business logo to make a message look official. The email address may also look different once you hover on it.

“It’s almost like a phone call (scam),” Slupe said. “It doesn’t mean it’s real, and you can delete it and look up (the organization) on your own.”

If faced with a suspicious email, Slupe said to avoid clicking on any hyperlinks, or responding with any financial information.

“If you get an email from a fundraiser or an event organizer and you’re interested in getting involved, then you contact that entity personally or seek them out directly,” he said.

Fry said if people are interested in participating in the craft show, they should contact her directly. Fry can be contacted via email at Pammycakes00@aol.com or at 724-824-2601. Alternatively, people can pick up vendor applications at the library at 1553 West Sunbury Road.

The only electronic form of payment accepted by the library is PayPal, Fry said. Payment made by cash and check is also accepted. The last day to register is Saturday, Nov. 25, she said.