ANN ARBOR, Mich. (WXYZ) — Hundreds of thousands of artists, vendors, and creative enthusiasts pack Ann Arbor for the annual Art Fair each year. The event, which begins July 17, is where many artists who rely on their work to make a living gather to showcase and sell their pieces.
But scammers have found a way to target these artists, attempting to profit off their creativity and hard work.
Mark Braun, a longtime fixture at the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, known for playing piano on the street, is expanding his presence this year.
For the first time, he and his wife, Wendy, will be selling their hand-crafted furniture pieces at the fair through their business, Braun and Braun Woodworks.
"This will be my 46th consecutive year of playing piano right out on the street," Braun said.
His musical journey at the fair began in 1980, when he was in his mid-20s.
"I didn't get invited at all. I was just, how old was I, mid-20s, thought it'd be fun," Braun said.
As first-time exhibitors selling their carved Baltic birch furniture, the Brauns weren't expecting to receive suspicious communications.
"This is all kinda new to us," Braun said.
The couple received an email from an organization claiming to gather artists together to improve their processes, but it required "forking over some dough."
Braun immediately contacted Angela Klein, Executive Director of Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, The Original.
"It's incredibly discouraging," Klein said.
Klein explained that while these scams aren't new, there has been a significant uptick in 2025.
"I have to delete those off the account. I bet we get 20 a day," Klein said.
According to Klein, scammers use Facebook to post fake services targeting artists and sponsors.
"Through the comments, and they'll say, 'Oh, if you're an artist looking to be in this fair or you're a sponsor looking to do this, we are your contact,'" Klein said.
Klein emphasized that the fair does not use third-party companies to book vendors and will never message anyone on social media except from their official account.
Braun, fortunate to have Klein's number, is urging other artists and vendors to be vigilant.
"Anyone who would do this kind of scam really doesn't care about people at all," Braun said.
He advises artists to thoroughly investigate before responding to communications about the fair.
"Before contacting them back directly, you should, through outside mechanisms, try to investigate who they might be," Braun said. "These days, as you know, something can just look really bona fide."
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