Farnham Town Council has warned traders to be vigilant after fraudulent emails inviting stallholders to book pitches at its Christmas Market were circulated.

The council first became aware of the scam on September 15, when a regular market stallholder reported receiving a suspicious email inviting them to book a Christmas Market stall and make a payment.

A second stallholder subsequently reported receiving a similar email. They clicked on a link and received an invoice requesting payment, but became suspicious and alerted the council before paying.

The council also became aware of a similar fraudulent email circulating ahead of last weekend’s Farnham Food Festival.

However, it says it acted quickly and is not aware of anyone losing money as a result of the scams.

The matter was reported to Surrey Police, the bank linked to the payment request and the Government’s phishing reporting service.

Warnings were also published on the council’s website and social media channels, while regular market traders were contacted directly.

Farnham Town Council leader Cllr George Murray said: “We are grateful to stallholders and others for alerting us to this issue, which allowed our officers to act swiftly.

“As far as we are aware, no one has lost money as a result of these scam emails. However, we want to remind everyone that genuine communications from the town council will always come from an email address ending @farnham.gov.uk.

“If you receive a suspicious email claiming to be from the town council, please do not click on any links or make any payments. Instead, forward it to [email protected] so that we can report it to the appropriate authorities.”

Traders who have concerns about an email, or who have clicked on a suspicious link, should contact the council for advice. Anyone who has transferred money should contact their bank immediately.

The council confirmed the scam has not affected plans for this year’s Christmas Market.