Beltrami County Sheriff Phil Hodapp advises residents need to be aware of the latest scam making the rounds of communities. According to information received from a daily debriefing sponsored by Homeland Security, senior citizens in central Minnesota have been targeted in a burglarizing scam. Police report that victims receive a phone call to respond immediately to the local hospital emergency room where someone has allegedly been taken for serious injuries. Authorities believe that the callers are trying to lure the citizens from their homes in order to burglarize them after they have left. Our citizens are advised to call the hospital, if they receive such a call, prior to rushing to the scene in order to assure such phone calls are real and to notify local law enforcement of any such incidents. Information gathered from caller ID, if available, would be especially helpful to officers in tracing such calls. Call 218-333-9111 or toll free, 1-888-449-9111 if you receive such a call.
Sheriff Phil Hodapp
