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A 26-year-old man named Benjamin Yakah was arrested in Minnesota for operating an internet romance scam in which he posed as a woman named "Julia" on Facebook and defrauded a 77-year-old widower in Bradenton, Florida of over $100,000 across eight months. Yakah used stolen photos of a West Virginia woman without her knowledge and convinced the victim that he needed money to pay off a debt before relocating from the United Kingdom to Florida to start a relationship. The victim's children reported the scam to the Bradenton Police Department's Elder Fraud Unit in June, leading investigators to trace the fraudulent bank account to Yakah, and further investigation reveale

**Summary:** Ideal Credit Union and the Minnesota Department of Commerce are hosting a free "Safe Seniors" workshop on December 12th in Woodbury to educate seniors about financial fraud prevention. The in-person or virtual session will be led by Senior Financial Fraud Investigator Boima Freeman and will cover identity theft, credit card fraud, phishing, invoice fraud, and payroll fraud, with guidance on recognizing and reporting financial exploitation of seniors and vulnerable adults.

Attorney General Keith Ellison warned Minnesota veterans about "claim shark" scams operating before Veterans Day, in which unauthorized individuals and companies illegally charge veterans large fees or a percentage of benefit increases to assist with VA benefit claims they falsely promise to expedite or guarantee. Claim sharks use aggressive advertising, deceptive contracts, and high-pressure tactics while impersonating authorized representatives, and veterans can protect themselves by using only VA-accredited attorneys, claims agents, and Veterans Service Organization representatives who offer free assistance and by never sharing login credentials or signing contracts outside official VA representation forms.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison provides guidance on steps to take after a data breach, warning that stolen personal information (passwords, social security numbers, credit card data, etc.) is frequently used by criminals to open fraudulent accounts or conduct phishing scams that damage victims' credit. Consumers should change passwords, enable two-factor authentication, place a fraud alert with credit bureaus, and consider placing a security freeze on their credit reports to protect themselves from identity theft and unauthorized account creation.

A northern Minnesota woman was charged with three felonies after attempting to submit an absentee ballot for her deceased mother in early October, but the fraud was caught immediately when county election officials cross-referenced deaths with voter registration records and discovered the mother had died in August. The case demonstrates that existing election safeguards are effective at preventing voter fraud, as election officials in Itasca County flagged the fraudulent ballot and are prosecuting the woman, who faces up to five years in prison and $10,000 in fines for each charge.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison shut down two fraudulent debt settlement companies, Financial Solutions Group and Accelerated Debt Settlement, that illegally collected fees and misrepresented their services, securing over $1 million in refunds for affected Minnesota clients. Warning signs of debt settlement scams include substantial upfront fees, promises of specific results, and lack of clear service information; consumers should seek help from legitimate nonprofit credit counseling organizations and be wary of claims that sound too good to be true.

Truth Social users, predominantly older Americans, lost hundreds of thousands of dollars to scammers using "pig butchering" schemes and romance scams, according to FTC complaints obtained by a tech reporter. Victims included a 60-64-year-old from Minnesota who lost $500,000 to a cryptocurrency investment scam, a septuagenarian who lost $21,000 in a romance-based scheme, and a 70-74-year-old from Oregon who lost $120,000 in a fake gold trading scam. Scammers typically build trust on Truth Social before moving victims to other platforms and convincing them to invest in fake cryptocurrency, stock, or precious

A Colorado man, Amondo Antoine Miller, was sentenced to eight years in federal prison for his role in a $300 million nationwide telemarketing fraud scheme that defrauded over 150,000 victims, primarily elderly and vulnerable individuals, by deceiving them into unwanted magazine subscriptions. The scheme, which operated from 2000 onward, caused some victims to face monthly charges exceeding $1,000 from multiple fraudulent billings simultaneously. This case marked the largest elder fraud prosecution in the nation and was the first in Minnesota prosecuted under the Senior Citizens Against Marketing Scams Act of 1994, which provides enhanced penalties for telemarketing fraud targeting seniors.

The Cerro Gordo County Sheriff's Office reported an increase in grandparent scams targeting senior citizens in North Iowa, where callers falsely claim a relative has been arrested and demand cash for bail. Victims were duped into handing over cash to couriers who arrived at their homes, with suspects identified as a well-dressed Black male driving a dark SUV with possible Minnesota plates, sometimes accompanied by an unknown female. Law enforcement advises seniors never to provide personal information or cash to unknown callers and to report such incidents immediately.

The Cerro Gordo County Sheriff's Office reported an increase in "grandparent scams" targeting senior citizens in North Iowa, where callers falsely claim a relative has been arrested and demand cash payment delivered by a courier to the victim's home. Law enforcement identified a suspect as a well-dressed Black male driving a dark four-door SUV with possible Minnesota plates, and advised seniors to hang up, verify information independently, and report suspicious calls to local police. The FTC recommends protecting yourself by remembering that legitimate businesses don't demand immediate payment via wire transfer or gift cards, law enforcement won't threaten arrest over the phone, and government agencies won't solicit sensitive information through unsolicite

The Cerro Gordo County Sheriff's Office warned of a "grandparent scam" targeting senior citizens in north Iowa, where scammers called victims claiming a relative had been arrested and needed cash for bail, then sent a courier to collect money from victims' homes. Authorities identified a suspect—a well-dressed Black man driving a black or dark-colored 4-door SUV with possible Minnesota plates, potentially accompanied by a woman—and urged seniors never to give cash or personal information to unknown persons and to report such contacts to law enforcement.

The Cerro Gordo County Sheriff's Office warned of an increase in scams targeting senior citizens in North Iowa, where callers falsely claimed relatives had been arrested and needed bail money, then sent couriers to collect cash from victims' homes. A suspect was identified as a well-dressed Black male driving a dark-colored SUV with possible Minnesota plates, sometimes accompanied by an unknown female. Authorities advise seniors never to provide personal information or cash to unknown persons claiming to represent law enforcement.

A Rochester, Minnesota woman lost $2,000 in a virtual kidnapping scam after a Spanish-speaking caller claimed to have abducted her daughter and demanded ransom money transferred to a Mexico account. The scammer used personal information about the victim and her daughter to make the threat credible and kept the woman on the phone while directing her to a local market to complete the transfer. The daughter was unharmed and returned home from school; the Rochester Police Department is investigating the case.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison issued a warning about growing mortgage assistance scams targeting homeowners in financial distress. Scammers pose as counseling agencies or foreclosure consultants, charging upfront fees for promised loan modifications or foreclosure prevention services that are never delivered, then disappear with the payment. The Attorney General advises homeowners to contact their lenders directly, seek free assistance from legitimate nonprofit organizations like HUD or Minnesota Housing, and report scams immediately to his Consumer Action Division.

Bitcoin ATM scams have surged dramatically, with losses increasing nearly 10-fold from $12 million in 2020 to $114 million by 2023, and victims already losing $65 million in the first half of 2024 alone. Scammers impersonate bank or government officials via phone, text, or pop-ups to convince victims their accounts are compromised, then direct them to deposit cash into Bitcoin ATMs (which they falsely call "safety lockers") by scanning a QR code that transfers funds to the scammer's wallet, with a median loss of $10,000 per victim. Vermont and Minnesota have enacted laws limiting daily crypto kio

The Senior LinkAge Line is offering two educational classes on September 11 to help older adults detect, understand, and report healthcare fraud, waste, and abuse, including Medicare scams and how to protect beneficiary numbers. The free online classes, offered in partnership with the Minnesota Board on Aging and the Senior Medicare Patrol program, cover reading Medicare paperwork and identifying potential errors and scams targeting seniors. Registration is available through www.arrowheadaging.org or by calling 800-333-2433 by the registration deadline.

Two men were sentenced to prison for operating a massive magazine subscription fraud scheme that defrauded victims across all 50 states of over $300 million—the largest elder fraud conspiracy prosecuted by Minnesota federal authorities. Anthony Eugene Moulder, 63, received 10 years for owning fraudulent magazine companies that used deceptive scripts to bilk thousands of vulnerable and elderly victims out of over $86 million between 2008 and 2020, while Abdou-Rahmane Diallo, 36, received 7.5 years for posing as a cancellation service representative and collecting large payments from victims seeking to cancel unwanted subscriptions.

**Summary:** This article reports on AARP's analysis showing that approximately 40,050 Minnesota Medicare beneficiaries will benefit from a new prescription drug out-of-pocket spending cap of $2,000 annually beginning January 1, 2025, resulting in average savings of roughly $1,500 (56% reduction) for those who reach the cap. The provision, part of a 2022 prescription drug law championed by AARP, will benefit an estimated 3-4 million Part D enrollees nationwide annually through 2029, with the majority of beneficiaries aged 65-84.

Grand Marais State Bank warned customers of a text message phishing scam impersonating the bank and requesting users click a link to "secure" their account after detecting a new device login. The scam attempts to trick victims into clicking malicious links (hosted on free website services like Weebly) and providing personal banking information that fraudsters could use to access accounts. The bank advises customers never to click unexpected links related to accounts and instead contact their bank directly to verify any security alerts.

The Federal Trade Commission reported over $10 billion in losses to fraud and identity theft last year, prompting AARP to advocate for new consumer protections in Minnesota. New legislation now regulates cryptocurrency ATMs with daily transaction limits of $2,000 for new customers and requires operators to post fraud warnings, along with 14-day refund protections for fraud victims. Additional protections were enacted to combat predatory real estate schemes targeting vulnerable homeowners, making long-term exclusive sales contracts unenforceable and allowing victims to pursue court damages or restitution through the Attorney General's office.

The City of Blaine, Minnesota lost $1.57 million to an international wire fraud scam in August 2023 when fraudsters used a fake email address mimicking a legitimate contractor (New Look Contracting) to intercept a payment meant for a construction project. The scam was discovered when the real contractor inquired about their overdue payment, prompting Blaine to issue a duplicate payment; federal authorities later indicted a Maryland-based network that used confusingly similar company names and shell companies to steal and launder funds. The city did not publicly disclose the fraud for nearly a year, and it remains under federal investigation.

A federal jury convicted two Minnesota residents, Tashena Laverna Crump and Ballam Hazeakiah Dudley, for their roles in a $300 million telemarketing fraud scheme that operated from at least 2000 to 2020 and victimized over 150,000 elderly people nationwide. The scheme involved fraudsters calling victims with existing magazine subscriptions, falsely claiming to renew them at discounts, while actually enrolling victims in unwanted new subscriptions that resulted in charges exceeding $1,000 per month; Crump served as a call center manager overseeing fraudulent sales operations. This is one of the largest elder frau

A 70-year-old Minnesota woman, Gayle J. Ferngren, was sentenced to 1¾ years in prison for her role in a global fraud scheme that victimized over $1.8 million from people across the country through romance fraud and pandemic aid scams. Ferngren was initially targeted by scammers posing as a romantic interest in 2016, but eventually became a knowing participant who transferred stolen funds to co-conspirators in Egypt, South Africa, and other locations. She was ordered to repay $1.76 million to victims and serve 100 hours of community service.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison issued a warning about telemarketing fraud, which generates $40 billion annually and disproportionately targets seniors and people with disabilities through high-pressure sales tactics, fake prize notifications, and requests for payment via untraceable methods. The warning provides guidance on protection strategies including verifying caller identity, avoiding immediate payment decisions, safeguarding personal information, and researching unfamiliar companies or charities before engaging. Ellison encourages victims to report scams to local law enforcement or the Attorney General's office rather than remaining silent due to embarrassment.

A text and phone scam impersonating the Minnesota Department of Transportation is circulating in Grand Marais and Cook County in northern Minnesota, falsely claiming victims owe $35 in late fees for express lane usage and directing them to fraudulent payment links. The Minnesota Department of Transportation had previously warned about this scam in June, and officials note the messages appear convincing; scammers have also made multiple follow-up calls to victims even after being blocked. Residents are advised to avoid clicking links in unsolicited messages and to verify urgent notifications through official channels.

Unsolicited packages from major e-commerce platforms like Amazon and Temu have been delivered to consumers nationwide as part of "brushing scams," where third-party sellers send random items to addresses obtained online to create fake verified-buyer reviews and artificially inflate product ratings. Affected consumers across Minnesota, Illinois, Massachusetts, and other states received unwanted items ranging from baby balloons to military hats and electronics. The Better Business Bureau recommends recipients document incidents, contact retailers to stop deliveries, monitor their accounts for fraudulent reviews and orders, and check credit reports, as the FTC has warned about this deceptive practice for at least a decade.

Upright Cane, an online retailer, defrauded seniors and disabled Minnesotans by advertising and accepting payment for walkers and scooters but failing to deliver any products, while also submitting falsified shipment evidence to block credit card chargebacks. The company owner Caelan Nwokeuku agreed to a 10-year ban from selling in Minnesota and will pay $50,000 in fines and restitution to victims, with the Attorney General's Office facilitating refunds to harmed consumers.

John F. Clarke, 55, a Des Moines man who targeted single women on dating sites by posing under aliases and gaining access to their phones and credit to purchase and resell electronics, was sentenced to up to 15 years in prison in Black Hawk County for probation violations connected to felony theft and lottery theft charges, with additional cases pending in other counties. Clarke had an extensive criminal history spanning decades with nearly two dozen felonies, and his arrest in December came after victims reported him on social media and law enforcement discovered he had expanded his scheme to multiple states including Minnesota, Missouri, and Wisconsin.

Jeremy Wade Wilson, owner of Publishers Elite, pleaded guilty to operating a $4.8 million nationwide telemarketing fraud scheme from 2013-2019 that defrauded over 14,000 victims, including more than 200 in Minnesota, through fraudulent magazine subscription sales targeting elderly and vulnerable consumers. Wilson, the final of 64 defendants charged, faces sentencing in September 2024 after pleading guilty to six counts of wire fraud and SCAMS Act violations.

This article is about weather conditions (rainfall reports) in Iowa and Minnesota, not about scams, fraud, or elder abuse. It is not relevant to the Elderus database and cannot be summarized for that purpose.

A 2023 study by Incogni found that U.S. residents over age 60 lost $3.4 billion to fraud—a 10.6% increase from 2022—with 101,068 reports filed, up 14.5% from the prior year. Minnesota elderly were among the hardest hit nationally, with victims over 60 losing an average of $44,623 each, ranking third-highest per-victim loss behind only DC and Hawaii. The article advises protecting against scams by scrutinizing emails for misspellings, avoiding clicking suspicious links, and verifying requests directly with companies' official websites or customer service.

In 2023, the FTC reported that Americans lost over $10 billion to scams, with Minnesota residents falling victim to various schemes including law enforcement impersonation, phishing emails, social media fraud, and fake streaming service emails. The article provides awareness of common scams while promoting a free document shredding event in Rochester, Minnesota on May 22, 2024, co-hosted by AARP and the Better Business Bureau to help residents safely dispose of sensitive documents and protect against identity theft.

Phone scammers in Minnesota are impersonating major banks like Wells Fargo through spoofed caller IDs to convince victims to send money via Zelle transfers, claiming urgent fraud prevention is needed. The scam uses social engineering and artificial urgency to manipulate people into sending funds to fraudulent "cancellation numbers" rather than stealing banking credentials directly. Experts recommend hanging up and calling the bank directly using the number on your card or statement to verify any fraud claims.

A Stewartville, Minnesota woman lost $9,300 after a scammer impersonated an Associated Bank employee, using the bank's legitimate phone number and email to convince her that her mobile banking app had been breached. The fraudster, claiming to be bank staff member Noah Collins, followed authentic bank procedures including sending security codes and instructing her to delay changing her password, before unauthorized withdrawals were discovered on her account on May 10. The victim advises others to independently call their bank directly to verify any suspicious account activity rather than relying on contact information provided during unsolicited communications.

This educational episode of "Marketplace Tech" examines how financial scams work and how to identify them, featuring the experience of Shannon from Minnesota who lost over $80,000 to an impersonation scam. A scammer posing as a sheriff's deputy falsely claimed Shannon missed a federal court appearance and threatened jail time, extracting multiple "bail bond" payments totaling $80,000 through threats and false legal information. The episode explains that scammers use phone number spoofing technology to impersonate legitimate officials and conduct research on targets to create convincing scripts that lend authenticity to their schemes.

A law enforcement impersonation scam has victimized at least five residents in the Rochester, Minnesota area, with losses totaling over $25,000. Scammers spoofed local police and sheriff's office phone numbers to convince victims they owed money for missed court dates or legal violations, demanding payment via bitcoin and instructing victims to meet at the Olmsted County Government Center; two out-of-state men have been charged in connection with one case. Rochester Police emphasize that legitimate law enforcement never calls to collect money and no government agency accepts bitcoin as payment.

Minnesota's senior financial fraud investigator Lisa Lovering states that awareness of scam tactics reduces victimization risk by 80% and significantly loss severity by 40%. According to AARP's 2023 data, seniors lost $28.3 billion to elder exploitation and fraud, with those over 80 experiencing average losses of $1,674 compared to $548 for young adults, though underreporting is widespread. Lovering advises avoiding payments via cash, gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency to unknown contacts; being skeptical of unsolicited calls from government agencies or businesses; and recognizing common tactics like imposter scams, romance scams, and lottery schemes that

A Facebook phishing scam using posts with messages like "It Won't Be The Same Without Him" is circulating in Minnesota and Wisconsin, tricking users into clicking malicious links by exploiting emotions and the assumption that a friend has died. When clicked, the scam compromises Facebook accounts, allowing scammers to steal personal information and spread the scam to the victim's friends through fraudulent posts and tags. Users who fall victim should immediately reset passwords, check privacy settings, remove suspicious friends, run antivirus software, and report the malicious links to Facebook.

This article is not about elder fraud or elder abuse. It describes a law enforcement incident involving a domestic disturbance in Minnesota where a shelter-in-place alert was mistakenly broadcast county-wide instead of to a single neighborhood block. This content falls outside the scope of the Elderus fraud research database.

A Minnesota resident nearly lost all their funds when scammers impersonated their bank's fraud department after obtaining a six-digit two-factor authentication code. The victim responded to a text claiming a fraudulent $400 transaction was pending, then provided the verification code to callers posing as bank staff, who subsequently drained both their account and their child's account. The bank confirmed no unauthorized transfers had been made and assured the victim that funds would be replaced, though the victim has since closed all accounts and reported the incident to police and credit bureaus. The key warning is to always call your bank directly using a number from their official materials rather than responding to unsolicited texts or using contact information from the message itself

Sharon Ann Schmalzriedt, 61, a bookkeeper in Wabasha, Minnesota, pleaded guilty to felony theft after stealing over $3.7 million from her employer between October 2019 and March 2020 to send to an online romance scammer posing as "Erik Lockwood," who claimed he needed funds to access $7 million from work in Dubai. She also stole more than $17,000 from a vulnerable adult in her care, and her actions contributed to her employer's bankruptcy. She is scheduled for sentencing in June with a plea agreement recommending a stayed prison sentence and probation.

Lisa Lovering, a retired law enforcement officer with 31 years of experience in fraud investigation, will present an educational program on frauds and scams targeting seniors on April 9 at the Headwaters Center for Lifelong Learning in Park Rapids. Lovering now works as a senior financial exploitation investigator for the Minnesota Department of Commerce, collaborating with financial institutions and law enforcement to help older adults protect themselves from fraud.

An 87-year-old woman in Rochester, Minnesota lost $18,000 in a grandparent scam on February 22 when a caller impersonated her son, claimed to be in a car accident, and directed her to a fake attorney who demanded bail money. A man in a medical mask collected the cash from her home, and she only discovered the fraud after calling her actual son to verify. Police noted the in-person collection was unusual for phone scams, and without surveillance footage or a clear suspect description, identification was unlikely.

The Senior LinkAge Line, through the Minnesota Area Agency on Aging, is hosting a virtual fraud prevention class on April 9 to educate older adults about rising scams that increasingly target seniors. The class will cover fraud detection, prevention strategies, and reporting procedures to help protect personal information and safety.

Scammers are using AI-generated deepfakes to target real estate transactions in Minnesota, impersonating agents, lenders, and other professionals to trick buyers and sellers into revealing sensitive information that allows them to redirect funds. The National Association of Realtors is urging industry professionals to increase cybersecurity training and implement verification protocols, including confirming communications through known contact information, using encrypted channels, and adding watermarks to documents. A recent survey found that 60% of home buyers and sellers received little to no education about wire fraud threats from their real estate professionals.

Garrett Elder, an Anchorage fraudster, began serving a 10-year federal prison sentence in Minnesota after defrauding over 175 people of more than $26 million through a Ponzi-like investment scheme where he misrepresented returns and misused client funds. Despite Elder's initial plea agreement calling for seven years, victims testified at sentencing demanding a longer sentence, and the judge imposed 10 years; Elder is now incarcerated at a minimum-security facility in Duluth and could be released in August 2032 if he maintains good behavior.

In 2020, scammers perpetrated a sweepstakes fraud against a Hennepin County couple in their 80s, stealing over $110,000 by convincing them to pay upfront taxes on a fake prize, with the perpetrators never identified and funds never recovered. AARP Minnesota is advocating for legislation to create a state-level restitution fund for fraud victims, funded by civil penalty payments from consumer fraud cases, as Americans reported 2.5 million fraud cases in 2022 totaling $9 billion in losses. The organization is also pushing to ban long-term real estate contracts (like those offered by MV Realty) that bind home

The Senior LinkAge Line offered two educational classes on March 13 covering healthcare fraud, waste, and abuse prevention, teaching participants how to detect and report fraud, protect their Medicare information, and identify scams targeting older adults. The free online classes, based on the Senior Medicare Patrol federal program, were available to Minnesota seniors and caregivers through pre-registration and offered continuing education credits.

Recent investigations have revealed significant fraud in Democratic-managed welfare and healthcare programs: Minnesota Democrats allegedly allowed over $1 billion to be stolen from state welfare programs including Medicaid, while a federal watchdog test found that fake applicants could easily enroll in Obamacare and receive taxpayer-funded subsidies. The article suggests these vulnerabilities have persisted for years, with taxpayers currently funding $148 billion in healthcare premiums where the extent of fraudulent claims remains unknown. To protect yourself, verify that your personal information isn't being used fraudulently by monitoring credit reports and Social Security statements, and report suspected welfare fraud to your state's attorney general or the relevant federal agency.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed lawsuits against two unlicensed contractors—Earl Christian Rode IV/High Road Builders and Ryan David Pietron/Affordable Home Remodeling—who defrauded at least 26 Minnesota families out of approximately $1.6 million by accepting large pre-payments for home renovation work they never completed or started, while falsely claiming to be licensed contractors. Both defendants are now banned from obtaining contractor licenses (Pietron until 2030, Rode for life), and one victim was forced to demolish their childhood home after the contractor abandoned a repair job, leaving it exposed to winter weather.