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Ballots, Medicare and Big House Tickets: Michigan's Fall Scam Calendar Is Full

In one week in mid-October, the FBI warned about election scams, two Michigan agencies (DIFS and MDHHS) jointly warned about Medicare scams, and the Michigan Attorney General sued a ticket seller. Election, Medicare and ticket fraud are all peaking at once, and Michiganders already reported losing more than $381 million to online crime last year.

By Cybercave Technologies

Every fall a few big deadlines land close together: the November election, Medicare's open enrollment window and the height of football and concert season. Scammers follow the calendar too. Between Oct. 12 and Oct. 15, 2026, the FBI; the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS) together with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS); and Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel each issued a warning or took legal action on these exact themes.

None of these warnings describes a brand-new kind of attack. What's new is that they're all landing in the same few weeks, and that the losses keep growing.

The numbers behind the warnings

Confirmed (federal data): The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received 1,008,597 complaints in 2025, with reported losses of $20.877 billion, 26% more than in 2024. That's according to the IC3's 2025 annual report, the most recent full-year data available as of Oct. 17, 2026.

Confirmed (Michigan data): The same report puts Michigan 14th in the nation for complaints (22,191) and 16th for reported losses ($381,068,131). Michiganders aged 60 and older filed 5,731 of those complaints and reported $169,931,948 in losses.

Confirmed (FTC data): People told the Federal Trade Commission about $15.9 billion in fraud losses in 2025, up from just over $12 billion the year before. The FTC shared those figures in congressional testimony on March 25, 2026. Impersonation was the most-reported category, with more than 1 million reports and roughly $3.5 billion lost.

These two federal datasets are collected separately and partly overlap, so don't add them together. Both agencies also stress that many victims never file a report, which means the real totals are probably higher.

1. Election-season fraud (FBI, Oct. 15)

On Oct. 15, the FBI updated its public service announcement about scammers using the Nov. 3, 2026 midterm election. The schemes it lists include:

  • Fake political committees ("ScamPACs") that collect donations and keep the money.
  • "Campaign investment pools" that promise donors a payout if the candidate wins. The FBI is blunt here: campaign donations are not investments, and they don't grow or come back to you.
  • Political merchandise that never ships.
  • Texts or emails falsely telling you that you aren't registered to vote, with a link to a fake state registration page built to harvest personal information.

The FBI also cautions that criminals are using AI tools to fake the voices, images and messages of candidates, campaigns, government offices and people you trust. To check your registration, go to vote.gov or Michigan's official election site directly. Don't use a link that arrived in a text. You can look up whether a committee is real in Federal Election Commission filings.

2. Medicare open enrollment (DIFS and MDHHS, Oct. 12)

Medicare open enrollment runs Oct. 15 through Dec. 7, 2026. On Oct. 12, DIFS and MDHHS jointly published guidance for older adults. Here are the key points:

  • Medicare won't call you or show up at your door uninvited. According to the two agencies, an unsolicited call or visit asking for your Medicare number is a scam.
  • Insurance agents aren't allowed to say they represent Medicare or that Medicare sent them.
  • Caller ID can be faked. If you're unsure, hang up and call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) yourself.
  • Part D drug coverage is voluntary. Ignore anyone who says you'll lose Medicare unless you sign up.

Free, unbiased plan counseling is available through MI Options at 800-803-7174. To report suspected Medicare fraud, call the Michigan Senior Medicare Patrol at 844-677-6424.

3. Ticket and memorabilia sales (Michigan AG, Oct. 15)

On Oct. 15, Nessel announced she had sued HailgateA2 LLC and its owner, John Klein. The suit was filed Oct. 8 in Wayne County's 3rd Circuit Court. These are allegations and have not been proven in court. The AG alleges the business wrongly implied a connection to the University of Michigan, sold tickets to U-M football games and Michigan Stadium concerts that were never delivered, and didn't refund customers. According to the AG's office, complaints describe thousands of dollars in tickets and memorabilia that buyers never received.

The owner's side: CBS Detroit reported on Oct. 16 that Klein agreed to answer its emailed questions and said he would respond Friday, but had not responded by the station's 1 p.m. Friday deadline. In July, before the lawsuit, Klein said in a Facebook statement, reported by WDIV/ClickOnDetroit, that he did not admit any liability or wrongdoing and was offering full refunds to affected customers. The AG's claims remain allegations, not proven facts.

Alongside the suit, the AG reissued her advice for buying tickets online: research the seller, and pay with a credit card so you can dispute the charge if something goes wrong.

Back in August, the AG also reissued a warning about callers who pose as your bank or credit union, fake the caller ID, and ask for your login details to "fix" a supposed problem. That warning still applies this fall.

What this means for you in Allegan and surrounding counties

  • The losses are big, and they're here. IC3 data shows Michiganders reported more than $381 million in losses in 2025, with nearly $170 million of that from residents 60 and older. If you have older parents or neighbors, the Medicare window (through Dec. 7) is a good time to have a quick conversation with them.
  • Every warning comes back to one habit: verify through a channel you already trust. If an email, text or call creates urgency, whether it's about your bank, Medicare or your voter registration, hang up or close it. Then contact the organization using a number or website you look up yourself.
  • Small businesses are targets too. Last year IC3 logged more than $3 billion in reported losses from business email compromise, where a criminal impersonates a vendor or boss to redirect a payment. If your office pays invoices, confirm any request to change bank details with a phone call to a number you already have on file.
  • Report it. Online fraud goes to ic3.gov. Consumer complaints go to the Michigan AG's Consumer Protection Team (877-765-8388). Insurance and Medicare complaints go to DIFS (877-999-6442). Reports help investigators connect cases and sometimes freeze stolen money. IC3 says its Recovery Asset Team froze about $679 million in 2025.

What's confirmed vs. what's alleged: All loss figures come from official federal reports. The HailgateA2 claims are allegations in a civil lawsuit; the owner's prior statement and non-response are attributed to the outlets that reported them. The FBI describes election schemes as threats that "could" occur, based on past patterns. It did not report a specific count of 2026 election-scam victims.

Sources (all accessed/as of Oct. 17, 2026)

  1. FBI IC3, "Scammers Exploit 2026 U.S. Midterm Election to Perpetrate Multiple Fraud Schemes," PSA, Oct. 15, 2026 (primary) — https://www.ic3.gov/PSA/2026/PSA261015-3
  2. FBI IC3, 2025 Internet Crime Report (national totals, Michigan and 60+ state tables, BEC losses, Recovery Asset Team figures) (primary) — https://www.ic3.gov/AnnualReport/Reports/2025_IC3Report.pdf
  3. FTC, "FTC Testifies before the Joint Economic Committee on Agency's Efforts to Combat Fraud," Mar. 25, 2026 ($15.9B 2025 losses; imposter figures) (primary) — https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2026/03/ftc-testifies-joint-economic-committee-agencys-efforts-combat-fraud
  4. Detroit Free Press, Susan Tompor, "FTC reveals a record $15.9 billion in consumer fraud losses in 2025," Mar. 28, 2026, updated Apr. 10, 2026 (independent confirmation of $15.9B) — https://www.freep.com/story/money/personal-finance/susan-tompor/2026/03/28/ftc-record-15-9-billion-consumer-fraud-losses-2025/89338858007/
  5. Michigan DIFS & MDHHS (joint release), Medicare Open Enrollment scam tips, Oct. 12, 2026 (primary) — https://www.michigan.gov/difs/news-and-outreach/press-releases/2026/10/12/difs-and-mdhhs-share-tips-to-help-older-adults-avoid-scams-during-medicare-open-enrollment-period
  6. Michigan Department of Attorney General, "AG Nessel Sues HailgateA2 LLC, Owner…," Oct. 15, 2026 (primary) — https://www.michigan.gov/ag/news/press-releases/2026/10/15/ag-nessel-sues-hailgatea2-llc-owner-over-concert-and-um-football-ticket-and-memorabilia-sales
  7. Michigan Department of Attorney General, "AG Nessel Warns of Bank, Credit Union Imposter Scams," Aug. 12, 2026 (primary) — https://www.michigan.gov/ag/news/press-releases/2026/08/12/ag-nessel-warns-of-bank-credit-union-imposter-scams
  8. FTC, ANPRM on platform ad tools and impersonation scams, Sept. 24, 2026 (corroborates ~$3.5B imposter losses) — https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2026/09/ftc-seeks-public-comment-whether-update-rule-impersonation-government-businesses-address-platforms
  9. CBS Detroit, DeJanay Booth-Singleton, "Michigan AG sues HailgateA2…," Oct. 16, 2026 (Klein agreed to answer questions; no response by 1 p.m. Friday deadline) — https://www.cbsnews.com/detroit/news/michigan-ag-sues-hailgatea2-alleged-consumer-violation/
  10. WDIV/ClickOnDetroit, Lauren Kostiuk & Derick Hutchinson, "Attorney General receives 3 complaints about well-known Michigan football tailgater," July 23, 2026 (Klein's Facebook statement: no admission of liability; full refunds offered) — https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/investigations/2026/07/23/attorney-general-receives-3-complaints-about-well-known-michigan-football-tailgater/

For general information only — not advice for your specific situation.

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