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Police in Chaska say phone scammer is impersonating officer
The department posted on its Facebook page that a man accuses the person who picks up the phone of missing court dates, then asks for personal information.
CHASKA, Minn. — Editor’s note: The video above, about a scam taking place in another Minnesota community, first aired on Dec. 15, 2023.
It sometimes seems that scammers are everywhere these days, trying to trick people out of their money or personal information.
The latest example is in the city of Chaska, where residents are being called by someone claiming to be a Chaska police officer.
Chaska police warned on their Facebook page that the scammer calls and claims to be an officer, accuses the person of missing court dates and requests personal information over the phone to clear the situation up.
“This is a scam!” the department posted. “This is not standard practice for our department.”
Residents were advised to call dispatch at 952-361-1231 if they ever have a question about a call, or need to confirm information that is being requested.”
This is not the first time Chaska police have warned residents about scammers. At the height of the pandemic in 2020, crooks were targeting seniors and trying to trick them into sharing credit card information to pay for a COVID-19 test.
Other communities have dealt with phone scammers as well. In 2023 Burnsville police reported that someone was calling residents and using the name of an actual sergeant in the department. The scammer would tell the person they missed a court appearance, that police had confidential information on them and to make good, that person needed to pay fines and fees using prepaid gift cards.
Burnsville PD said at the time that the case was a good reminder to not give out personal information or make payments over the phone, saying BPD, like most departments across the state, will NEVER require people to pay fines or fees using gift cards or money orders.
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The legislation prevents transferring a dead patient’s medical debt to a surviving spouse and reporting unpaid medical bills to creditors, among other things.
ST PAUL, Minn. — The Debt Fairness Act is officially the law of the land across Minnesota, going into effect on Oct. 1, 2024.
Passed in April as part of the larger Commerce Policy Bill, the act takes a number of steps to protect those struggling under the weight of medical debt. Among other things, the Debt Fairness Act:
- Prevents medical providers from denying care due to unpaid medical debt
- Bans the practice of transferring a dead patient’s medical debt to a surviving spouse
- Prohibits medical providers from reporting unpaid medical bills to credit bureaus
- Establishes strong new protections from unethical medical debt collection practices
- Requires medical providers to publish medical debt collection practices
- Creates a new process to help people dispute medical coding and billing errors
The bill received strong support at Capitol rallies from Minnesotans like Jen Schultz, a public relations professional and adjunct professor at Concordia University in St. Paul.
“I’m a four-time cancer survivor and a lot of times it feels like I’m in a constant cycle of medical debt,” Schultz told KARE. “I’ve had so many situations where I’ve had to choose between buying groceries or paying a full medical bill or putting gas in my car.”
Schultz said bills tend to pile up for cancer survivors like her due to the constant need to check and recheck to ensure the disease has not returned.
“Oncology appointments, scans, ultrasounds, biopsies, medication, treatment, and so on,” Schultz explained.
Credit agencies and hospital groups lobbied hard against the bill before its passage, cautioning lawmakers about the unintended consequences of changing the rules. Danny Ackert of the Minnesota Hospital Association said hospitals wrote off $537 million in uncollectible debt in 2022, and $280 million of that was from patients with insurance who couldn’t afford their copays and deductibles.
“The hospital association is concerned that provisions in Senate File 4065 pertain to medical debt in combination are not appropriately balanced,” Ackert told the panel at the time.
On Tuesday Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced that his office will host a new Debt Fairness Legal Clinic on Saturday, October 5 at NorthPoint Health & Wellness Center. Experts will be on hand to provide support and advice to Minnesotans struggling under the weight of medical debt.
HOPE 4 Youth offers programs and support for young people experiencing homelessness.
COON RAPIDS, Minn. — On any given night, about 6,000 young people in Minnesota are experiencing homelessness. HOPE 4 Youth is raising awareness and funds to make sure that number goes down.
The Darkest Night 4K is raising funds to help that cause. Participants will take part in a luminary-lit walk or run with live music and activities at the Bunker Hills Golf Club in Coon Rapids on Oct. 4 from 5:30-8:30 p.m.
If you attend, you might see a familiar face as KARE 11 Sunrise anchor Jason Hackett will be emceeing the event.
Nikki Kalvin, the director of advancement with HOPE 4 Youth, visited KARE 11 News at Noon to share more about the event and the organization’s mission.
HOPE 4 Youth offers housing programs and support for people ages 16-24 who are dealing with homelessness. The proceeds from The Darkest Night 4K will go to their programs.
Tickets are $40 for adults, $20 for kids or students and free for children ages 3 and under. Click here for more information.
The St. Paul Area Association of Realtors aims to get first-time home buyers in action.
ST PAUL, Minn. — Owning a home can seem like an unattainable goal as prices are getting more and more expensive.
The St. Paul Area Association of Realtors (SPAAR) wants to help first-time home buyers reach this goal. At the Housing Resource Fair, people can meet with realtors, local housing organizations and city officials to learn about programs and money-saving resources.
The fair will be held Oct. 3 from 2-4 p.m. at the SPAAR offices at 325 Roselawn Ave. E in St. Paul.
For more information, click this link.
