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.
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11's newscasts. You'll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota.
- Add KARE 11+ on Roku here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Roku Channel Store.
- Add KARE 11+ on Fire TV here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Amazon App Store.
- Learn more about the KARE 11+ app for Apple TV in the Apple App Store.
- Learn more about KARE 11+ here.
Watch more local news:
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities and across Minnesota in our YouTube playlist: