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'Do your homework': Michigan AG warns auto show visitors about common scams

Paul Sancya/AP

FILE - A Buick Wildcat EV concept is shown during the media previews for the North American International Auto Show, Sept. 14, 2022, in Detroit. Detroit's big auto show is returning to January after an ill-fated two-year move to warmer September in an effort to create more outdoor experiences and draw more consumers. The next North American International Auto Show is now scheduled for Jan. 10 through Jan. 20 next year, the show said in a statement Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)

By: Zac Harmon

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DETROIT — The North American International Auto Show makes its return to January, with the showcasing event expected to draw tens of thousands of people to downtown Detroit.

While the new vehicles and prototypes can look too good to be true, Michigan's Attorney General says visitors need to watch out for scams and crimes that come in the wake of such large events.

"People need to be paying attention to when they're down here to make sure that they're not getting ripped off," said Dana Nessel in an interview with FOX 17.

Among the several scams the AG's office highlights are emails and text messages that appear to be from the auto show or City of Detroit.

"It has a link, you don't want to just go ahead and click on that link, because you don't know if that link is going to go ahead and send malware to your device, which can then literally take over your device, can access everything on your phone at that point, including your bank account or your emails or your photographs or anything like that," said Nessel. "Just ignore that. If you get some sort of attached, or an email like that, just delete, delete, delete."

Nessel also said a number of flyers have been posted around Huntington Place with QR codes. She warns those codes could allow criminals to access your device as well.

"We're seeing lots of QR code fraud, so people have to be very, very careful about this," said Nessel.

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With so many people expected in Detroit this weekend, Nessel told us to watch out for price gouging and parking scams.

"Do your homework in advance," said Nessel. "Make sure you're looking around and you're shopping around when you're looking at hotels or when you're looking at parking or things of that nature."

While many of these scams target your money, Nessel said another type of crime tends to follow large events: human trafficking.

"We also know that these type of events attend tend to attract human traffickers who will bring their victims to these events," said Nessel. "We saw this during the draft we had a lot of instances of human trafficking, and we were actually able to liberate a lot of people who were victims."

Visitors to the auto show can help identify potential victims of human trafficking by paying attention if someone is doing all the talking for another person, they don't have their own documents, and they don't know exactly where they are. If you spot someone you think is being trafficked, Nessel encourages you to call 911.