How to avoid falling victim to scams 📱

Plus: Vote in our song of the summer poll [Plus: Vote in our song of the summer poll] View this email as a [web page]( [Star Tribune]( [Essential Minnesota logo] ESSENTIAL MINNESOTA [Essential Minnesota logo] ESSENTIAL MINNESOTA Good morning, Minnesota! I spent two days in the desert and — yeehaw! — came home with another cowboy hat 🤠On to the news 📢 [Eder Campuzano] By Eder Campuzano TODAY’S TOP STORIES - [As flooding continues, Gov. Tim Walz authorizes Minnesota National Guard support]( - [In Lino Lakes, fierce debate over a Muslim-friendly property development]( - [Randy Shaver tees off on his profession as he retires from KARE 11]( - [Minneapolis to University of Minnesota fraternities: Get that AstroTurf off your lawn]( - [Yes, intersex people exist. A Twin Cities advocate is fighting for their rights.](   Scammers love to impersonate Best Buy, Xfinity and others. Here's how to avoid falling victim. Illustration by Kim Maxwell Vue/Star Tribune One of Minnesota's biggest companies is also one of the country's most impersonated in scam phone calls. Scammers impersonate Best Buy's Geek Squad service more than any other business in the U.S. This morsel of business news comes to us courtesy of reporter Nicole Norfleet, who recently went deep on fraud schemes after falling victim to one herself. A scammer posing as an Xfinity representative took a phony payment from her, only for Norfleet's internet to go offline weeks later. The minutes-long interaction yielded hours of frustration as she spent a week addressing the issue with the company. Xfinity customers are also a favored target of scammers, Norfleet reports. She spoke with a senior researcher at the Federal Trade Commission who told Norfleet that fraudsters have learned how to lure folks with legitimate-looking emails and convincingly present themselves over the phone as company employees. The expert also offered some tips on how to avoid becoming a victim. Slow down and be aware. Don't be ashamed if you get scammed. Don't trust caller ID. Report if you get scammed. Norfleet has the full list of major U.S. companies targeted by fraudsters and [more tips here on what to do if you get scammed](.     GOING OUT - [Mississippi River inspires a new site-specific dance piece for McKnight project in Winona]( - [Minneapolis' Sally Franson competed on Swedish reality TV, cried a lot and wrote 'Big in Sweden' about it]( What's your song of the summer? When I was a much younger man — a boy, really — I committed to learning all of the lyrics to "Fly" by Sugar Ray. The trembling guitars and scat-tastic stylings of Super Cat kept that one rattling around in my 10-year-old brain for months. Little did I know that the four-minute track would, in fact, be my first-ever song of summer. This morning, music writer Chris Riemenschneider published his list of contenders for this 2024, including Sabrina Carpenter's "Espresso" and "Tipsy (Bar Song)" by Shaboozey. But he also wants to know which tunes you consider this season's earworms. Check out Riemenschneider's song of the summer picks and [vote in the poll here](. Christina House/Los Angeles Times [Share this newsletter with friends]( Do you enjoy Essential Minnesota? Encourage your friends and family to [sign up](. You also can share it using the links below. MORE FROM THE STAR TRIBUNE - [After COVID stopped downtown St. Paul employer blood drives, residents rolled up their sleeves]( - [Park redo threatening to displace youth baseball in Fridley has advocates crying foul]( - [Twin Cities transit agencies are offering rides to Pride]( On This Day in 2004 Star Tribune front page via Newspapers.com Metro Transit's Blue Line turned 20 this month and the June 24, 2004, edition of the Star Tribune featured this package about how Twin Cities residents got along with the new light-rail trains in their first few days of operation. Pedestrians skittered across the tracks, earning the ire of a train operator. Cars sped through safety arms and, in some cases, broke them. Even two decades later, I still see my fair share of vehicles speed through the stoplight at 3rd Avenue S. and 5th Street in an effort to beat the train. The more things change, the more they stay the same, it seems. IN OTHER NEWS - [Biden order streamlining path to citizenship for spouses could affect 40,000 Minnesotans]( - Sahan Journal - [Bipartisanship report recommends Minnesota Legislature reduce floor debates, improve balance on committees]( - MinnPost - [‘It needed to happen’: Grand Rapids hosts its very first LGBTQ+ Pride festival]( - MPR News     THE MINNESOTA GOODBYE Photo credit The rain may be letting up this week but its impact on Minnesota's waterways is just beginning. My social feeds have been flooded with video of a raging Minnehaha Falls and water cascading down city streets up north. St. Paul Parks and Recreation Director Andy Rodriguez took to X over the weekend to caution that, as high as the water may be on the trails next to the Mississippi River, it'll be even higher once the week is through. Stay safe out there, folks. Thanks for reading Eder Campuzano, reporter David Taintor, editor [Email]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Manage email preferences]( • [Subscribe to Star Tribune]( • [Privacy Policy]([Unsubscribe from this newsletter]( [Unsubscribe from this newsletter]( [Manage]( your preferences | [Opt Out]( using TrueRemove™ Got this as a forward? [Sign up]( to receive our future emails. View this email [online](. 650 3rd Ave. S. Suite 1300 | Minneapolis, MN 55488 US This email was sent to {EMAIL}. To continue receiving our emails, add us to your address book.