In KDWA’s biweekly call with Hastings Deputy Police Chief Bryan Schowalter, we discuss
Flock cameras and an increase in scam calls.
Lately, Flock cameras have been a hot topic in the media. Deputy Chief Schowalter offers clarification about Flock cameras and who has access to local Flock cameras.
“So, Flock cameras are actually more of a security camera than a surveillance camera. I consider them similar to a Ring doorbell camera or any of the other brands where people can put some sort of surveillance equipment or security equipment on their home or at their business. So, you know, Fleet Farm does have the Flock cameras on-site; they did so without, you know, the police department conversations or interjecting or anything like that. And we’re fine with it. I mean, it’s in any other form of security cameras, similar to what Walmart does with their extensive cameras. So Flock cameras truly just record the premises and record their property. And they often call us regarding a shoplifter or maybe an accident that took place in their parking lot, and then if they have footage of it, they’ll provide it to us, but we don’t have access to their footage, just like we don’t have access to bank security cameras or Kwik Trip security cameras. It’s just another version of security. So they’re very useful cameras. I mean, they do a great job of monitoring their employees, their parking lot, customers. Everybody who utilizes them sees a huge benefit in it. But at this time, the Hastings Police Department does not have any Flock cameras or access to any footage from a Flock camera.”
Fraud calls. We all get them. Deputy Chief Schowalter talks about the latest fraud calls and offers a few tips to protect yourself from being scammed.
“Yeah, so the scam and fraud calls, they just don’t seem to be going away, and unfortunately, in some areas, they’re starting to ramp up. We’re starting to see calls again where people are making calls for just a variety of reasons, saying there’s a warrant for your arrest because you didn’t pay a parking ticket in 2022 or there are past due taxes. And you know, you can resolve these by clearing the warrant, by simply making a payment, and then they give a fairly reasonable dollar amount. They’ll say, you know, $235, and most people will think to themselves, well, $235 to get rid of this warrant. That’s a bargain.”
“So, then they make the payment, and there never was a warrant. And this is not a legitimate agency calling, so what we’re trying to do is get the word out that nobody from the state, nobody from the court system, and nobody from a police department or sheriff’s department is ever going to call and ask that you make a payment to avoid jail time. And the other kind of crux to these is they’re often asking for payment on either PayPal or Apple cards or some off-the-wall type of payment system. Oh, you can Venmo your payment to me, and that’ll take care of the warrant. So that’s kind of an indicator as well that these are fraudulent calls and that no legitimate state agency or government agency is ever going to call you to make a payment on an Apple Pay card.”
“But then also unusual, we had another significant check-washing fraud that has taken place. An individual had written a check to pay a normal bill, like you would assume everyone does, and they mailed it. But somehow a fraudster got ahold of this check; they washed it, and they changed the dollar amount to well over $1,000 more before this check was cashed. So I’m not sure how they were able to get a hold of it, but it’s kind of a reminder, if you are mailing payments or you’re mailing checks to somebody, don’t put them in your mailbox by simply putting the red flag up, because when you do that, that’s an indicator to every fraudster that you have outgoing mail, and it’s an opportunity for them to check your mailbox for any checks. So fraud calls never seem to go away. But unfortunately, statewide, nationwide, citywide, and here, we’re starting to see a little bit of an increase in the fraud calls as well.”
When asked if the public can call the police department to check information regarding scam calls, Deputy Chief Schowalter says:
“Absolutely. So there’s a couple of things they can do. They can call just their local police department and say, ‘Hey, I just received this call, and here’s what they are requesting.’ If it’s a fraudulent call, chances are the officer will very quickly be able to identify and tell the person. Tell the individual calling, “Hey, don’t send them money.” This isn’t legit, or they can call the agency that the person is portraying to be representing. So if someone calls and says, “I’m with the Dakota County Sheriff’s Department, and you have a $235 fine, which is going to turn into a warrant for your arrest if you don’t pay it,” simply go online, find the phone number for the Dakota County Sheriff’s Department, and call them to verify. Don’t take a number from the person that’s calling you, saying, “Oh yeah, you can call us back at this number,” because they’re just going to give you a number that goes right back to them.”
“But if you can independently research a phone number for that agency, call them up and ask if this information is correct; they’ll be able to verify if it is or isn’t. The other thing you can do is always contact the Better Business Bureau, if it’s a non-government agency, and ask about that business as well. So I would always recommend you contact some sort of law enforcement if one of these calls just seems fishy to you and it’s better to be safe than sorry. If it is legitimate, well then you make your payment 10 minutes later because you took the time to verify it.”