State AG Nessel warns fans to watch out for scams at NFL Draft in Detroit
DETROIT (FOX 2) - In her Honolulu blue and her Lions footwear, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is ready for the draft, and the crimes that come along with big events and hundreds of thousands of people.
"The scammers are out there and they're ready to take advantage of people - don't be a victim," she said. "People need to be careful and they need to research everything in advance to make sure it's legitimate."
That means identifying potential places to park before driving down.
"We've seen instances where people will say - 'We provide valet service - so just hand us your car keys and we'll see you in a few hours,' and you are never going to see that person or your vehicle again," she said.
Nessel says even something as mundane as a parking ticket could be fake.
"We've seen these scams in other cities where the draft has taken place, where somebody will get a parking ticket, it wasn't issued by the City of Detroit," she said. "And then they'll go to pay it online, or through a QR code and boom, you're out of that money as well."
Remember the draft is free - just download the NFL One Pass app - and beware of other offers and qr codes and even text messages.
"'They say click on this link here,' Whatever you do, don't click on that link," Nessel said. "What's likely is that it's what we call a 'smishing' scam. And once you click on there, they have the ability to download malware or a virus on your device and to get into your device completely."
The attorney general says they have a team of investigators working overtime during the draft to address these issues.
"We know from what we've seen in other cities that we're likely to have issues here," she said. "So we're going to have people on call, so if you contact us, we're going to have somebody investigate as soon as possible."
Another problem that comes along with big events - human trafficking. Nessel says victims may be malnourished, have bruises, lack identification - they may not be allowed to speak or make eye contact.
"We need for people to know the signs of human trafficking, to look out for it, and if you suspect it - to make a report," she said.
Contact police immediately if human trafficking is suspected - the attorney general's Consumer Protection hotline is 877-765-8388.
The National Human Trafficking Resource Center: 888-373-7888.
