Fresno Discovery Center Warns Vendors of Scammers Collecting Fake Vendor Fees

The Fresno Discovery Center, a nonprofit based in Fresno, warned vendors and potential exhibitors that scammers have been impersonating the organization and soliciting vendor fees from businesses. The center issued the advisory on Feb. 19, 2026, and the warning has appeared on the center’s social posts and in local coverage.

The advisory was posted across social platforms and local outlets, with a Facebook notice stating, "The Fresno Discovery Center is warning vendors of a scammer posing as the center, attempting to collect vendor fees." An Instagram post carried the header, "Vendor Scam Alert We've been notified that scammers are impersonating Fresno Discovery Center and contacting vendors. Please do not send payment or" and a YourCentralValley excerpt urged: "Beware of scammers posing as the Fresno Discovery Center collecting vendor fees. Verify all payments and registration through the official" - each excerpt in the public notices was truncated in the material provided to this newsroom.

The center's longer guidance, provided in the compiled key facts, instructs vendors to "complete registration and payments only through the official channels." Those key facts align with the social posts but the notices made available to this reporter did not include the center’s specific official payment channels, such as a website URL, official email domain, or phone number, nor did the excerpts include screenshots of the fraudulent solicitations.

Publicly available excerpts and the center’s warning leave several operational details unreported: none of the notices identify the contact method used by the impersonators (email address, phone number, text, direct message or other), no individual businesses or vendors were named as victims, and no dollar amounts being requested by scammers were disclosed. The notices also do not state whether the Fresno Police Department, the FBI, or federal consumer agencies have been notified or whether any formal complaints or investigations are underway.

Local vendors who receive a vendor-fee request should note that the center’s advisory consistently urges verification of payments and registration, but this newsroom did not receive the center’s full original message or a direct quote from a Fresno Discovery Center representative in the materials supplied. The social excerpts demonstrate the warning reached Facebook and Instagram audiences and was summarized in local reporting, but they vary in wording - Facebook refers to "a scammer" while other posts use "scammers."

This newsroom will seek the Fresno Discovery Center’s full public warning text, the center’s verified payment and registration channels, and any sample scam messages or screenshots the center can supply. We will also seek confirmation from local law enforcement about any reports tied to the impersonation and whether vendors have reported losses.