The director of a Winnipeg music venue is warning the public against possible scammers playing a tricky tune, after he received an offer for a “free” piano that seemed too good to be true.
“I’m offering my late husband’s Yamaha piano to any music enthusiast who may appreciate it,” read an email that landed in the inbox of West End Cultural Centre executive director Jason Hooper this week.
“If you or someone you know might be interested in receiving this instrument for free, please feel free to reach out to me.”
The non-profit has accepted several pianos from legitimate donors over the years, so Hooper wasn’t surprised by the offer until a closer inspection raised some alarms.
“Usually, (donation offers) have a lot more information in them. People talk about their relationship to the West End Cultural Centre in some way,” he said. “There’s usually a last name in the sign off, often there is a phone number; just a little more detail than is included here.”
While Hooper can’t prove it’s a scam, the email is suspicious, he said.
“Targeting cultural centres… is pretty low.”
Multiple Free Press staffers have received similar emails from various addresses in recent months, each offering to give away their “late husband’s Yamaha piano.”
Trudy Schroeder, former executive director of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, said her daughter nearly fell victim to fraudsters pitching a piano in February.
Schroeder’s daughter, who lives in Holland, connected with a person offering her a free baby grand Yamaha piano — all she would have to do is pay for shipping.
The same instrument would retail for up to $20,000 if it was purchased in Canada, Schroeder said.
“I should have known better, too, because nobody gives away a piano like that,” she said.
The victim went so far as to speak on the phone with the scammers, providing them with her credit card number and arranging for delivery. They then directed her to a company that quoted her $3,000 to ship the piano to her home in Amsterdam, Schroeder said.
“That’s when she realized… When things seem to good to be true, they often are,” Schroeder said, explaining her daughter was able to cancel her credit card before she was charged.
A review of the Better Business Bureau’s scam tracker database shows at least two Manitobans have been targeted in piano scams this year.
The website provides a public forum where people can describe how and when they were defrauded. In both of the recent cases, the victims said they connected with the fraudsters through posts on social media before being asked to pay a moving company to transport the piano.
One of the victims said they lost $450.
Jerry Pawlowski of Piano Movers Winnipeg said moving fees vary depending on the size of the instrument; transporting an upright piano in Winnipeg costs up to $500, while grand pianos can cost up to $600.
Shipping a piano out of province might cost an additional $1,000, he said.
Many people try to give away pianos that are no longer wanted, but those are often cheap, broken or worn down. People searching for free pianos should always be leery of offers involving new, high-quality or grand pianos, Pawlowski said.
The Better Business Bureau did not respond to requests for comment Wednesday.
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Agency also did not respond.
A spokesperson for the RCMP said they did not know if police were tracking piano scams in Manitoba.
The Winnipeg Police Service could not speak specifically to piano scams, but warned “fraud actors are constantly evolving and engaging new methods to connect with victims.”
tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca
Tyler Searle
Reporter
Tyler Searle is a multimedia producer who writes for the Free Press‘s city desk. A graduate of Red River College Polytechnic’s creative communications program, he wrote for the Stonewall Teulon Tribune, Selkirk Record and Express Weekly News before joining the paper in 2022. Read more about Tyler.
Every piece of reporting Tyler produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.