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Woman accused of running special needs camp scam
Scam victims say she was really convinced, delivered her elevator pitch to donate like a well-oiled machine. She had all the buzzwords to tug at the heartstrings and the concern Wednesday night was whether there are more victims out there.
OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. (FOX 2) - A woman is allegedly going around Metro Detroit pretending to run a summer camp for disabled children, hitting up restaurants for donations. However, it is all a scam according to victims.
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They say she was really convinced, delivered her elevator pitch to donate like a well-oiled machine. She had all the buzzwords to tug at the heartstrings and the concern Wednesday night was whether there are more victims out there.
The scammer is a woman who walked into Bravo’s Coney in Pontiac, using a fake flier to sell a non-existent summer camp for disabled children.
"She had her whole spiel if you want to donate and support a kid," said Bravo’s Coney Island owner Besian Berisha.
Then, owner Berisha says she brought God into it. He’s a man of faith and took a leap, donating $150. The scammer, who promised to come back the next day, was a no-show. So they called the number on the flier and it went to a business in Ohio.
"He said he’s been getting a lot of calls like this and said, ‘I think unfortunately, you’ve been scammed,’" said Berisha.
Since they reported her, the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office has been tracking the scammer and is ready to serve up a misdemeanor.
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Sheriff Michael Bouchard says some of the victims might not even know who they are yet, urging people to call the sheriff’s office and report any interactions.
It could lead to a higher charge for the woman.