Mike Brookbank

Cleveland

Anchor and Reporter at WEWS-TV (Cleveland, OH)

Proud adoptive father of two. Husband. Uncle. Dog owner (rescues). Good Morning Cleveland anchor on News 5. Marathoner. Amateur photographer. He/Him.

Articles

Worried about scams? This free Scam Squad Guide from Cuyahoga County can help

2 weeks ago | news5cleveland.com | Mike Brookbank

CLEVELAND, Ohio — While I do my best every morning to keep you ahead of the latest scams, keeping tabs on everything can be overwhelming. That's why the Cuyahoga County Scam Squadjust released a new guide to arm you with simple ways to spot, avoid, and report scams. The 23-page booklet takes a different approach to help people understand systemically what's happening in scams.
'I’m dead,’ he thought — how 1 Northeast Ohio senior turned a scam close call into a mission

2 weeks ago | news5cleveland.com | Mike Brookbank

MENTOR, Ohio — May is Older Ohioans Month. As state agencies raise awareness about the scams seniors like Jack Hines face, the Mentor Police Department is beefing up its anti-scam efforts through prevention workshops at the senior center and assisted living facilities across the city. "It's enlightening because you think, oh my gosh, that could happen, and it does happen. You have to be wiser,” said Hines. In 2024, scammers made $4.8B off seniors according to the FBI.
Here's a solution to stop 'unpaid toll' text scams

3 weeks ago | news5cleveland.com | Sara Roth |Mike Brookbank

CLEVELAND — By now, you've probably received a text message claiming you have unpaid toll fees. News 5 first alerted you about this scam in April 2024. Now, there is a solution to stop it. Highway toll scams targeting thousands of summer drivers RELATED: Highway toll scams targeting thousands of summer driversThis week, Google launched an update to its scam detection technology for the Google Messages app.
Nonprofit finds that this one age group is trying to climb out of credit debt more than any other

3 weeks ago | news5cleveland.com | Mike Brookbank

MEDINA, Ohio — High inflation and interest rates, coupled with uncertainty around tariffs and the economy, likely have you worried about your financial future. As my News 5 Consumer Team colleague Elizabeth VanMetre helps you look for ways to stretch your budget each week at the grocery store, new data from Lending Tree shows Americans are finding it harder to afford essentials like groceries.
Safeguarding seniors from scams

4 weeks ago | news5cleveland.com | Sara Roth |Mike Brookbank

CLEVELAND — May is Older Ohioans Month and state agencies are raising awareness about scams targeting seniors. Good Morning Cleveland anchor Mike Brookbank spoke with Rob Rutkowski, Deputy Superintendent of Ohio's Division of Financial Institutions, about the growing problem. "People who want to commit fraud have seized upon this sector of the population and they do it because people are vulnerable," said Rutkowski.
'They get the trifecta of the identity theft,' REAL ID scam warning you need ahead of deadline

1 month ago | news5cleveland.com | Mike Brookbank

CLEVELAND, Ohio — As I continue to alert you on the ways scammers are trying to get your information and money, there’s a new threat emerging surrounding REAL IDs.With the deadline on Wednesday, travelers are rushing to get the updated ID before their summer getaways, and the bad guys know this. I spoke with Paul Keener, cybersecurity strategist with GuidePoint Security.
Tariffs impacting toy production for upcoming holiday season

1 month ago | news5cleveland.com | Sara Roth |Mike Brookbank

OLMSTED FALLS, Ohio — The Trump Administration's tariffs on foreign imports are disrupting the toy industry. According to the Toy Association, 77% of toys sold in the United States are made in China. The U.S. has imposed a 145% tariff on most goods imported from China. "A $10 toy that lands in the U.S. will now be $24.50 to land, and that is all being paid by the small and medium-sized businesses," said Greg Ahearn, president and CEO of The Toy Association.
This simple change to your password could outsmart hackers - are you doing it?

1 month ago | news5cleveland.com | Mike Brookbank

CLEVELAND, Ohio — It's the string of letters, numbers and symbols that stand between your personal information and hackers. On this World Password Day, I want to make sure it's protected. The goal of the day is to encourage individuals and organizations to prioritize password security by using strong, unique passwords and two-factor authentication. New data from Social Catfish shows that 49% of people's email passwords are currently on the dark web, leaving consumers vulnerable to online scams.
I tried to ‘Shop Like a Billionaire’ on Temu - ended up paying like one too

1 month ago | news5cleveland.com | Mike Brookbank

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Like many of you, I have ordered a variety of items from the Chinese online marketplace Temu. Its tagline may be 'Shop Like A Billionaire,' but with a 145% tariff now being placed on Chinese imports, that may be harder for American consumers. We've heard for weeks about the impact tariffs would have on the prices we pay, now after opening my Temu app today, I got a clearer picture of just how much more money we're talking.
Here's why your cell phone keeps blowing up with unpaid toll texts

1 month ago | news5cleveland.com | Mike Brookbank

CLEVELAND, Ohio — I bet, like me, you are so sick and tired of them at this point. The never-ending stream of text messages that try to scare us into paying a missed toll while traveling on America's highways, like the Ohio Turnpike. I spoke with Jon Clay with Trend Micro. He told me nationwide, there has been a 900% increase in "toll road scams" searches online in the last three months. “It's obviously working because the scammers are continuing to do this.