MENDOTA HEIGHTS, Minn. — A Twin Cities police chief is warning against gift card scams involving law enforcement impersonators after her family member nearly fell victim.
Mendota Heights Police Chief Kelly McCarthy had a family member visiting from out of town. They got a call from a scammer impersonating a deputy and told them there was a warrant out for their arrest for missing jury duty.
They told her she needed to pay $4,000 in gift cards to be held in court until she could fulfill her jury duty. When she expressed skepticism they sent her official-looking paperwork convincing her she may be in legitimate trouble.
She then went to two different Walmart locations attempting to buy gift cards, but associates recognized the scam and didn't sell her the cards.
"If not for employees at two local Walmarts, my family member could have been out upwards of $4,000," said McCarthy.
Andrew Velasco is an asset protection operations coach for Walmart in Roseville. He says all associates are trained in scam detection.
"It's important customers come here and that they're safe," he said. "We absolutely have customers coming in buying gift cards for themselves, or for family members as gifts. But when you're asked to provide gift cards as payment to a business, you may want to proceed with caution."
The Federal Trade Commission warns that no real business or government agency will ever tell you to buy a gift card to pay them.
Police Chief McCarthy says she has seen locals fall victim and encourages folks to report scams to police.
"People shouldn't feel embarrassed if they fall victim," said McCarthy. "There's only one group of people who should feel bad about it. It's the criminals."
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: