Nova Scotia minor hockey community latest to be targeted by online scams

Scammers have made minor hockey teams their latest target, trying to bilk unsuspecting people out of registration money for tournaments.

Brian Esbaugh, president of the Chebucto Minor Hockey Association (CMHA), said a scam targeted the Kyle Henneberry Memorial tournament, an upcoming event hosted by his organization. Esbaugh said the association discovered the scam when someone contacted him about registration.

“We’ve had a separate tournament director for the Henneberry tournament for years, so I reached out to him, and he said we hadn’t even opened for registration. So, obviously, we looked further into it and it is a scam,” he said.

“It seems to be something that’s spreading a little bit across Canada in the hockey community.”

Esbaugh said the CMHA issued a warning to its membership, Hockey Nova Scotia and other associations to alert them of the fraudulent activity.

“Most recently, scammers have been imitating organizations and attempting to sign them up for tournaments and taking payment. These tournaments do not exist, or they do but are full or registration is not opened,” wrote CMHA registrar Alicia Pane.

“This happened to a local association who thought they were paying for our Kyle Henneberry tournament that is not yet opened.”

Registration for the Kyle Henneberry Memorial tournament is $1,000.

On Monday, the East Hants Minor Hockey Association (EHMHA) acknowledged that it had shared fraudulent information for the Kyle Henneberry tournament with its teams.

“A few days ago, EHMHA shared information with our teams regarding an upcoming hockey tournament. We have since learned that scammers were posing as co-ordinators for this tournament. We apologize for unknowingly passing along this information and want to ensure all teams are made aware as soon as possible,” read the association’s statement.

The Atlantic Hockey Group (AHG) is another organization targeted by email scams. The AHG shared in a Facebook message that an unauthorized email was circulating to hockey teams promoting registration for its 2026 Tournament of the Rings and other events.

The organization said the email was not sent or authorized by the Atlantic Hockey Group. It came from info.atlantichockeygroup@gmail.com and is not associated with Atlantic Hockey Group.

“We encourage all coaches, team managers and families to exercise caution when receiving unexpected tournament invitations or registration requests claiming to represent AHG. To ensure you are accessing legitimate AHG programming, please verify tournament information and registration details through our official website,” states the organization.

An attempt to reach Hockey Nova Scotia was not immediately returned.

The fraudulent emails are similar to a recent attack on vendors in the crafting community. Last month, Craft Nova Scotia issued an alert on its website to warn members and vendors.

“We’re aware of multiple scams targeting our Nova Scotia arts community. Please stay vigilant. We never ask you for payments upfront or refundable booth fee insurance. We never send you anything by Gmail. If you’re unsure whether an email is from Craft Nova Scotia, please get in touch with us at office@craftnovascotia.ca,” reads the message.

The Halifax Regional Police issued a reminder for people to be suspicious of emails or calls asking for money and to make sure the person is legitimate before providing any money.

Scammers can spoof phone numbers and make it appear as though they’re calling from a trusted source. You should not give personal information to anyone, whether solicitation occurs by email, telephone or in person, unless you are certain of the identity of the individual and/or the legitimacy of the organization they claim to represent.

If you’ve lost money or your identity has been compromised as a result of a scam, call police at 902-490-5020.