Rochester Police Department Warns of Two Scams Gaining Popularity

BEWARE! The City of Rochester, Minnesota Police Department just sent out the following message to the community of a few scams that are making their rounds again.

⚠️Scam Alert!⚠️
There are a couple scams we want to warn you about --
1. Victims receive emails from someone claiming to be from the Amazon Fraud Department. Victims are instructed to purchase gift cards and read the numbers from the cards over the phone.
2. Victims receive calls from someone claiming to be with the Drug Enforcement Administration saying a vehicle in their name was seized with drugs in it. Victims are instructed to purchase gift cards or send money through U.S. mail to clear their name.
Delete the emails! Hang up the phone! - City of Rochester, MN Police Department Facebook page

GettyStock

If someone asks you over the phone to purchase gift cards - Hang Up!

I just saw a post on Facebook the other day of an individual who was shopping at a store in Byron, Minnesota who encountered an elderly gentlemen who was attempting to purchase several gift cards. These cards were not for family but because of a phone call he received. The cashier and individual believed it was a scam that he had fallen victim to but he was not listening and said he would just go buy the cards somewhere else.

That gentleman isn't the only one falling for the scam. A Rochester woman was the victim of a two-stage scam and lost $2,600. You can read that story here.

Get our free mobile app

Please talk to your loved ones about these phone scams!

If you have loved ones that maybe aren't on the internet, have Facebook to see all of these stories, or maybe just have a tendency to believe these types of scams more than others, please print this story off and give it to them directly. Call them yourself and tell them to PLEASE not continue speaking with these individuals on the phone and to hang up.

JordiDelgado Getty Images

Have you seen the scam about running a red light yet?

I get this e-mail scam at least once a month, if not more. It's funny because while I was working from home during COVID and driving nowhere, I was still getting the scam sent to my inbox. If you haven't seen this e-mail yet, I have a copy of it here for you here.

2021 Twin Cities Summer Jam

Speaking of driving, here are Rochester, Minnesota's most annoying intersections.

We all know that there are a few "messed up" intersections and roads in Rochester, but below are the worst. Scroll through and see if you agree.

Rochester's Most Annoying Intersections

We travel on them nearly every day, and they cause a lot of stress... because these are the Most Annoying Intersections in Rochester!

Listen to Jessica Williams weekdays from 6 am until 10 am on the Y-105FM Early Morning Show with James & Jessica.

LOOK: The most expensive weather and climate disasters in recent decades

Stacker ranked the most expensive climate disasters by the billions since 1980 by the total cost of all damages, adjusted for inflation, based on 2021 data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The list starts with Hurricane Sally, which caused $7.3 billion in damages in 2020, and ends with a devastating 2005 hurricane that caused $170 billion in damage and killed at least 1,833 people. Keep reading to discover the 50 of the most expensive climate disasters in recent decades in the U.S.