Minnesota Businesses Warned of New Nationwide Environmental Scam
St. Paul, MN (KROC-AM News)- Minnesota businesses are being warned of a new environmental scam.
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The warning comes from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), which says at least one business has been victimized by the scam.
Officials say reports of the scheme, involving impersonations of a federal agency, are increasing nationwide. A news release issued by the MPCA calls it a phishing scam.
The scammer or scammers will send a fake letter via email or U.S. mail that appears to be from the Environment Protection Agency (EPA).
The letter says the business has committed an environmental violation and demands a payment of thousands of dollars to settle the issue.
Officials say the letters are written with an urgent tone, includes the EPA’s logo and a case number and cites federal.
The news release says the fake letters are often full of grammatical errors and include the email address nvoice@epa.services, which is an address that’s not associated with the federal agency.
MPCA officials say so far they have not received any reports of scammers impersonating the state agency.
MPCA Land and Air Compliance Section Manager says violation notices issued to businesses by the agency will not also include penalties and will not suddenly appear.
The news release says businesses will have prior contact with the MPCA before being notified of a violation and penalty.
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Gallery Credit: Scott Clow