PINE CITY
THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2016 VOL. 131 NO. 1 www.pinecitymn.com $1.00
YEAR IN REVIEW: Looking back on the stories that shaped Pine City in 2015. P2
IRS scam calls reported in Pine City area BY MIKE GAINOR EDITOR@PINECITYMN.COM
CASSANDRA OLSON
Bittersweet treats from last day of Milkhouse Hazel and Evan Olson enjoy their last-ever shakes from the Main Street Milkhouse – the gas station and convenience store at 455 Main Street that has long been a Pine City institution. Heather Dean, who has managed the gas station for the last six months, said the decision to close was made by co- owners, Paula and Kevin Dahl. “It’s just sad to see a locally owned business go down in the dumps,” Dean said.
Fire chief: Keep homes safe this winter BY MIKE GAINOR – PART 3 OF 4 EDITOR@PINECITYMN.COM
Pine City Fire Chief Tom Miller wants area residents to know that the danger of structure fires goes up in the winter, and families should take precautions to keep their homes and loved ones safe. “Make sure you have a carbon monoxide detector,” Miller said. “It will save your life. We have responded to multiple calls already this year where carbon monoxide alarms have been going off and they truly had carbon monoxide building up in the house. It’s the silent killer.” Residents should also make sure smoke alarms are installed and ready for the worst. “With the smoke alarms, check
your batteries,” he said. “Even if they are hard-wired in your house, you still need to change your batteries. If the power’s out, it didn’t do you any good. “This sounds really redundant and silly, but practice your fire drills,” Miller added. “Work with the kids. Make sure they know what that smoke alarm sounds like and what to do when they hear it.” Miller said that families should make sure there is a smoke alarm installed in every bedroom and on every floor of the house. He pointed out that homeowners don’t need the latest model of smoke alarm to improve home safety. “Go buy some of the $5-$10 smoke alarms,” he said. “They’ll save your life. And the people who
don’t have them need to ask themselves a question: What are the occupants of the home lives worth?” FIRE CAUSES, SAFETY TIPS Miller said that cooking and heating are the top sources of structure fires, but pointed out that many fires stem from electrical and natural causes. Miller also warned against overloading power plug-ins. “People have to ensure that whatever appliances they’re plugging into a power tap altogether don’t draw more power than that power tap was designed to supply,” he said. “The power’s going to keep going through it because it’s not enough to pop the breaker, and a lot of times the power taps will start on fire.”
Pine City area families have been the focus of scammers claiming to be from the US Internal Revenue Service, and threatening jail time without immediate payment. “That’s one that’s been going on for a while,” said Pine County Sheriff Jeff Nelson. “They’ve been calling and saying that there’s an investigation and money owed, and you’re going to go to jail if you don’t mail us a check or money order.” The IRS reports that scammers often alter caller ID to make it look like the IRS or another agency is calling. The callers use IRS titles and fake badge numbers to appear legitimate. They may use the victim’s name, address and other personal information to make the call sound official. Nelson said members of his own family received such a call earlier this year. “[It was] pretty much the same thing,” Nelson said. “‘We’re with the IRS and if you don’t money-order us whatever amount of dollars you will be arrested and this is your last chance.’” The scammers will try to bully the person being called into complying with their demands. “The people I’ve talked to pretty consistently have said they get pretty aggressive,” Nelson said. “Then if you question their legitimacy they call you names and hang up.” On their website, the IRS states that some schemes provide an actual IRS address where they tell the victim to mail a receipt for the payment they make. Other scammers use emails that contain a fake IRS document with a phone number or an email address for a reply. These scams often use official IRS letterhead in emails or regular mail that they send to their victims. They try these ploys to make the ruse look official. Nelson said that Pine County residents should be cautious and skeptical anytime they are contacted by email, mail or phone with such a demand for immediate payment – especially by wire transfer of funds. “The standard advice is: do not send money to anyone you don’t know,” he said. “The moneygram/money wiring services are pretty much untraceable for us. So if they ask you to send money that way it’s a huge red flag. “The IRS doesn’t operate that way,” Nelson said. “They will not call and ask for money.” According to the IRS, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration has been informed of about 736,000 scam contacts since October 2013. Nearly 4,550 victims have collectively paid over $23 million as a result of the scam.
Warm up by the fireside in your Cozy New Home! Home!
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