Beware of national scam going around

A national scam in which individuals pose as law enforcement officers and falsely claim there is a warrant for the recipient’s arrest is now happening in Minnesota. The scam, which claims people are in imminent danger of arrest for missing jury duty, is designed to pressure victims into providing personal information or making immediate payments to avoid arrest.

The Minnesota Judicial Branch became aware that scammers were targeting Minnesotans after the Duluth courthouse received a panicked call from a victim. The person told the court she received a call from someone claiming to be a police officer with an arrest warrant for her signed by a local judge. When the victim started asking the caller questions, the caller became belligerent and mean. The victim hung up and called the court, which informed her the call was a scam.

Jury duty summons are sent via mail, not by phone or email. And while failure to report for jury duty can result in penalties, the court will never call you to demand money.

• The Senior LinkAge Line will offer two 90-minute online classes covering health care fraud, waste and abuse prevention at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Wednesday, July 10. Attendees will learn how to detect and report potential errors, fraud, and abuse; review potential fraud and scams targeting older adults, learn how to read their Medicare paperwork, learn how to protect their Medicare beneficiary number, and how to protect/detect/report Medicare scams and fraud. The class is offered online using the Microsoft Teams meeting platform. Register by going to: http://www.arrowheadaging.org/classes-workshops-trainings or by calling the Senior LinkAge Line at 800-333-2433.

The Senior LinkAge Line is a free, statewide service of the Minnesota Board on Aging in partnership with Minnesota’s area agencies on aging.