(LANSING) - The Michigan Attorney General's office is warning vendors about fraudulent Facebook event pages targeting fairs and festivals.
Officials say the scam pages use real photos, event descriptions and familiar branding to look legitimate.
The goal is to trick vendors into paying fake booth fees.
In many cases, vendors are told to reserve space by text message and then send payment through a third-party app directly to scammers.
The Attorney General's office says the scam can cost vendors money while also damaging trust in well-known community events.
Before sending any payment, vendors are urged to verify events through their official websites.
Officials also recommend using a credit card with fraud protection whenever possible, since payments sent through third-party apps are often difficult to recover.