Scammers target people trying to donate to Haiti, Afghanistan

Fake online pleas pop up online

Many people want to offer financial help to those in Haiti and Afghanistan and scammers are taking advantage of that.

Fake online pleas for donations are popping up online and the Better Business Bureau wants people to make sure they’re not getting taken advantage of.

‘If you want to donate, do your homework, know about the organization,” Laura Blankenship with the BBB said. “Who is collecting the money and how will it be used?”

Watch the video above for the full report.



Scammers use QR codes to trick consumers into opening malicious links

Many companies use QR codes to lead consumers to their apps, help them track packages or view menus.

The codes can’t be read by the human eye, and that’s why scammers have been using them to disguise malicious links.

QR codes are becoming more popular and the Better Business Bureau is seeing more reports of scammers using them to mislead consumers.

Click here to read more.


About the Authors:

Hank Winchester is Local 4’s Consumer Investigative Reporter and the head of WDIV’s “Help Me Hank” Consumer Unit. Hank works to solve consumer complaints, reveal important recalls and track down thieves who have ripped off people in our community.

Kayla is a Web Producer for ClickOnDetroit. Before she joined the team in 2018 she worked at WILX in Lansing as a digital producer.