Community First, Always: Partnering Safely with PECMI

🤝Our Relationship-Driven Trust & Safety Standard

Prince Edward County Markets Inc. (PECMI) was founded on a simple belief: that good food, fine craft, and local shopping fuel economic lift. We aren’t a faceless, global booking engine. We are a small, dedicated team that knows our growers, makers, and artisans by name.

Because your partnership is personal to us, your security is too. Independent businesses are frequently targeted by online imposters and unauthorized solicitors. To protect our community, we have established clear operational boundaries and verification checks. By staying informed, we ensure our festival marketplaces remain safe, profitable, and focused on celebrating your craft.

1. Executive Team

👥 Meet the PECMI Leadership Team

Patricia McDermott, President & CEO

Direct Inbox: patricia@pecmi.ca

Rosalind Fuller, Chief of Staff

Direct Inbox: rosalind@pecmi.ca

⚠️ SECURITY NOTICE: Scammers frequently copy team photos, names, and logos onto fake email signatures, social media profiles, and generic forms. A photo or logo alone does not prove a message is authentic. Always verify that communications originate from @ops.pecmi.ca or @pecmi.ca.

2. Official Communication & Billing Channels

Before you reply, submit payment, or share business details, verify the sender against our official directory below:

📞 Direct Contact Channels

Direct Phone: 613-661-1106
Executive Inboxes:
- rosalind@pecmi.ca
- patricia@pecmi.ca
Operations & Logistics: vendors@ops.pecmi.ca
Trust & Abuse Reporting: safety@pecmi.ca

💳 Official Invoicing & Payments

Invoice Sender: PEC MARKETS INC. <quickbooks@notification.intuit.com>
Interac Autodeposit EMT: info@countymarkets.ca
Mail: 4 Lake St., Picton, ON, K0K 2T0

3. How PECMI Works: Our Operational Boundaries

✨ What PECMI Will Always Do

✅ Official Operational Emails: All curation notices, sitemaps, and exhibitor logistics. come exclusively from vendors@ops.pecmi.ca.
✅ Authenticated Event Domains: We only recruit and run campaigns from official authenticated domains (pecmi.ca and dedicated event sites like ontariocheesefest.ca, and hollyjollymarket.ca and others).
✅ Personal, Unhurried Onboarding: We balance event categories weekly, communicate clearly throughout curation, and provide reasonable, documented timelines to secure your space.
✅ Authenticated QuickBooks Invoicing: Official booth fee invoices are delivered securely via Intuit QuickBooks Online (quickbooks@notification.intuit.com) with clear Interac Autodeposit instructions to info@countymarkets.ca—never via executable files, suspicious links, or personal accounts.

🚫 What PECMI Will Never Do

❌ NO Gmail, Hotmail, or Free Webmail: We will never contact you from a @gmail.com, @yahoo.com, or @outlook.com address. If the sender’s address ends in @gmail.com, it is 100% a scam.
❌ NO Google Forms (forms.gle): We will never use Google Forms, Jotform, or Linktree.
❌ NO Personal E-Transfers: We will never ask for Interac e-Transfers (EMT) or deposits sent to personal email addresses or non-corporate accounts.
❌ NO Social Media Direct Booking: We will never solicit booth spaces, confirm applications, or accept payments through Facebook comments, Instagram DMs, or social platforms.
❌ NO Phone Credit Card Collection: We will never call you to take credit card numbers, CVVs, or banking details over the telephone.
❌ NO Attachment Invoices or Software Downloads: We will never send executable files (.exe, .zip) or demand that you download software to view an invoice or sitemap.
❌ NO Attendee / Exhibitor List Sales: PECMI never sells, rents, or distributes vendor or attendee email lists. Any offer to sell PECMI contact databases is 100% fraudulent.

4. Understanding Common Event Scams

🚫 Scam Vector 1: Impersonation Fraud (Fake Vendor Recruitment)

The Risk: Scammers monitor social media comments to identify prospective makers, claiming “last-minute booth openings.” They direct you to generic application forms designed to harvest business credentials.
Your Verification Shield:
- Refer to our Authenticated Domains rule. PECMI only recruits from official sites.
- If contacted via social media, ignore the DM and apply directly at pecmi.ca or contact rosalind@pecmi.ca.

🚫 Scam Vector 2: Invoice Spoofing (Fake Billing & Payment Diversion)

The Risk: Bad actors send urgent emails pretending to be Patricia or Rosalind, threatening booth cancellation within 24 hours unless an immediate e-transfer or payment is made.
Your Verification Shield:
- Official invoices are sent via Intuit QuickBooks (quickbooks@notification.intuit.com) with the sender display name PEC MARKETS INC..
- Authorized e-Transfer: If paying by Interac e-Transfer, our official Autodeposit recipient is registered exclusively to info@countymarkets.ca. We never request transfers to personal Gmail addresses.

🚫 Scam Vector 3: Housing Pirates (Unauthorized Hotel Room Poachers)

The Risk: Predatory third-party booking agents call or email accepted vendors claiming to be “official PECMI housing agents,” using pressure tactics to collect credit card details for fake hotel reservations.
Your Verification Shield:
- PECMI never processes hotel payments over the phone.
- Preferred hotel rates negotiated by PECMI are accessed via direct links to the hotel’s own secure website.

🚫 Scam Vector 4: Attendee & Vendor List Scams (“Database Sellers”)

The Risk: Unsolicited spammers email vendors offering “The Official 2026 PECMI Visitor / Attendee List” for a fee.
Your Verification Shield:
- PECMI never sells or shares attendee or exhibitor lists. Mark these emails as spam and delete them immediately.

5. Help Protect the Community: Report an Imposter

Scammers move quickly—frequently altering forms, deleting social accounts, and changing domain redirects as soon as they are detected.

📸 Screenshots are our most effective evidence. A quick screenshot allows our technical team to document abuse, notify web hosts, and issue network-wide alerts to protect other makers.

If you have received a suspicious email, text message, social media DM, or phone call, please let us know below: