Minneapolis, MN

‘Emotional hackers’ scam $800K from Minneapolis woman’s father

Published

1 year ago

June 23, 2023

‘Emotional hackers’ scam 0K from Minneapolis woman’s father

Elderly man loses $800K in lottery scam

An elderly man was scammed $800,000 from his bank account – the result of a lottery scam that her daughter says should have been stopped by the banks. FOX 9’s Corin Hoggard has the details.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – A Minneapolis woman calls it emotional hacking: Scammers drained $800,000 from her father’s bank account.

He’s a 76-year-old Ukrainian immigrant with limited English skills. He sold his home in Washington State in April and essentially became homeless a week later.

“I feel bad, very bad,” said scam victim Bogdan Nalivaiko.

He’s living out of a Motel 6 these days, a far cry from the 2,300 square-foot home he sold just a couple months ago, eight years after his wife, Elena, passed away.

He planned to live the rest of his life off the proceeds.

But by the time movers came, Nalivaiko couldn’t pay, prompting a call to his daughter.

“He’s like ‘Yeah, you’ll see,’” said his daughter, Julia Elders. “And then I pressed him and pressed him and pressed him and finally he relented and said ‘I won sweepstakes.’ And I’m like ‘oh no.’”

Elders is the marketing and communications director at the St. Paul Jewish Federation, so she lives almost 1,700 miles away from her father.

She knew what happened right away, but the scammers worked so quickly, she was too late.

The crooks called and texted Nalivaiko every day, convincing him to send cashier’s checks in amounts up $50,000, chipping away at his $800,000 balance.

“From April 26 to May 3, it went to zero,” Elders said.

FOX 9 followed the trail of the rip-off artists to phone numbers and addresses all across the country.

One number is connected to Exquisite Party Management in Florida.

It’s a party entertainment service registered to Jenica Jones, which is also the name on two of the $50,000 cashier’s checks Nalivaiko sent.

We got Jones on the phone, but she hung up after this exchange.

“This man was scammed out of hundreds of thousands of dollars and he sent you more than $50,000 in cashier’s checks,” a FOX 9 reporter said to Jones.

“So what does that have to do with me?” she responded.

“Well, like I said, he sent you more than $50,000 in cashier’s checks and I’m trying to figure out why.”

Listening to that brief conversation with someone possibly connected to the scheme brought Elders to tears.

“I keep coming up against this feeling of like how deep this is going,” she said. “It’s really hard to wrap your head around the types of people that are involved, what other things they’re doing, what other kinds of crime is also being committed with this money.”

Elders says Chase and Bank of America should’ve recognized the unusual transactions and stepped in.

“He doesn’t know what’s happening,” she said. “He doesn’t know. He thinks the bank works for him. They let him withdraw $200,000 in the same day at two different branches. Are you kidding me?”

We reached out to the banks and both told us they needed more time to investigate the situation.

“I think banks are in the same position as us where they would like to prevent this before it even happens,” said Seattle FBI Special Agent in Charge Kelly Smith.

The FBI is also investigating and Elders talked to an agent just before our interview, but she’s not convinced they’ll be able to scrape back much of her father’s money – if any.

“And the onus is on me,” she said. “The FBI told me you have to be your own little sleuth.”

But Elders is also seeing the good side of humanity.

A family friend started a GoFundMe to help Nalivaiko with living expenses.

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett contributed $2,000 and, he also posted about it on social media.

The mover who tipped Elders off to her father’s problem is also still helping him out.

Joe Kenney is now working with Elders to help get her father in a more stable living situation and the online fundraiser should help with that.
But Nalivaiko’s savings have vanished and he’ll live off a $1,600 per month Social Security income from here on out.

The FBI says elder fraud victims reported $3.1 billion in losses to their Internet Crime Complaint Center in 2022. That’s an 84% increase from 2021 and Elder warns it’ll get worse as AI improves, especially in mimicking voices.

Tips from federal agents:

Prevention and public awareness are key. Once money has been transferred, especially overseas, it can be difficult to get back. However, the FBI and our law enforcement partners do our best to disrupt the criminal activity, but quick reporting to law enforcement is essential. Victims may be embarrassed to report to law enforcement, but fraud reported weeks or months later may be impossible to stop. We encourage people to resist the urgency the scammer attempts to create, possibly over the phone, and do their research separately. Individuals can also talk to their family, friends, and financial institution before sending any money to avoid becoming a scam victim.

Consumers who believe they are the victim of a scam should:
• Contact their financial institution immediately upon suspecting or discovering a fraudulent transfer.
• Ask their bank to contact the financial institution where the fraudulent transfer was sent.
• Contact law enforcement.
• File a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.IC3.gov, regardless of dollar loss. Provide all relevant information in the complaint.

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Minneapolis, MN

'2035 Plan' outlines possible future for downtown Minneapolis

Published

4 hours ago

November 26, 2024

Press Room

'2035 Plan' outlines possible future for downtown Minneapolis

Transforming the Mississippi River waterfront, building a marquee ice skating rink, locking in a Michelin-starred restaurant, and “reinventing” the skyway system are just a handful of ways downtown Minneapolis could take shape over the next decade.

It’s all part of the Minneapolis Downtown Council’s “2035 Plan” and laid out in its 131-page presentation, “Downtown by Design.”

“It’s a big plan. It’s a big vision. There are 52 projects that are laid out in it,” Ben Shardlow, chief of staff for the downtown council, said, adding, “It’s been a labor of love to get a big engagement process, to get a lot of voices to the table.”

The ideas and vision are focused around four “strategic priorities”:

Neighborhood Cultivation
Foundational Safety
Hassle-Free Systems
Irresistible Vibe

Shardlow says downtown Minneapolis is in an interesting position to make unique and bold changes as it adapts to life after the pandemic.

“I think we’re, we’re very heartened by the recovery and the reanimation that we’ve seen from downtown. But it’s clear also that downtowns need to change,” he said.

Turning Nicollet Mall into a pedestrian-only area is also part of the plan. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey wrote in the presentation, sharing, “Nicollet Mall is the heart of our city, and its future reflects our shared vision of a vibrant, welcoming, and accessible downtown – a place where people gather, connect, and enjoy the best Minneapolis has to offer.”

Another goal is transforming millions of square feet of commercial space into residential space. And it’s not just projects on the mind, ensuring public safety will be a big part of the heart of the city’s future — key in that will be the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD).

“[In the] last few months, we’ve been involving community-based organizations more than they had been in the past,” Chief Brian O’Hara said about the MPD’s work downtown.

Chief O’Hara said his main focus will be building up his taxed police force so that it can better respond when needed.

“We are on pace to hire a lot of people next year,” Chief O’Hara said. “I don’t think it’s unreasonable to say that we’ll probably hire about 200 people for sworn positions, at least 50 in January alone.”

While O’Hara said it will take some time for most of those people to become sworn officers, he expects dozens to be on the street before the end of next year.

Also, even with the vision laid out for downtown’s future, the council says there’s much more work ahead before these ideas become reality, with more opportunities for people to share their ideas.

“We’re all a big community. We all care about the future of downtown Minneapolis. Let’s bring our best ideas to the table and work together to get them done,” Shardlow said.

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Minneapolis, MN

Minneapolis to pay more than $224K to fill empty storefronts

Published

12 hours ago

November 25, 2024

Press Room

Minneapolis to pay more than 4K to fill empty storefronts

MINNEAPOLIS — Take a walk around downtown Minneapolis and you’ll see them: empty storefronts — one after another.

Now, the city of Minneapolis is opening up its checkbooks, spending $224,20 — money previously approved in the 2024 budget — to combat the problem.

“This is an opportunity that we’ve been dreaming of,” said Drew Kinkade, Founder and Director of Flavor World.

Flavor World is a Twin Cities-based creative hub that makes clothing, hosts events and provides services for the local art scene. It is one of five local arts organizations selected to be a part of Vibrant Storefronts.

Each organization is getting subsidized rent to take over five vacant downtown storefronts.

“Right now, by far our biggest expense as a business is rent,” said Kinkade.

Flavor World will provide space for a rotating gallery and a pop-up shop for local artists at the old Fast Print location on Harmon Place.

“We want to have quarterly gallery openings, as well as we host events called art shares, kind of like art show and tells,” said Kinkade.

Just down the street, Black Business Enterprise, a nonprofit that gives a helping hand to black and low-income entrepreneurs, has already set up shop in their new location, making a space for local artists to collaborate and showcase their art.

“We really hope to spotlight and shine the light on a lot of the artists that are typically unseen,” said Nancy Korsah, Executive Director for Black Business Enterprise.

Both organizations hope to give these empty storefronts new life.

“Downtown is not dead,” said Korsah. “We have amazing organizations trying not just to bring people back, but bring community together.”

The Minneapolis Downtown Council on Monday published its 2035 Plan, outlining its goals for revitalizing the area.

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Minneapolis, MN

Thanksgiving Grocery Store Hours Minnesota 2024

Published

20 hours ago

November 25, 2024

Press Room

Thanksgiving Grocery Store Hours Minnesota 2024

MINNEAPOLIS — It’s a familiar feeling: Thanksgiving morning, the relatives are coming over, and after days of preparing and making lists for your family feast, you realize you forgot the cranberry sauce or the whipped cream for the pie. If you find yourself in this situation, don’t worry—several grocery stores across the Twin Cities metro area will be open for last-minute shopping needs.

Here are the hours for grocery stores that will be open on Thanksgiving Day, as well as a list of those that will be closed:

Open on Thanksgiving Day

Hy-Vee

Hy-Vee stores will be open on Thanksgiving Day, but many locations will close early, typically at 2 p.m. It’s a good idea to call your local Hy-Vee store ahead of time to confirm their specific hours, as they may vary by location.

Bloomington, 10800 Lyndale Ave S, Bloomington, MN 55420
Eagan, 4000 Eagan Dr, Eagan, MN 55122
Maplewood, 1850 White Bear Ave, Maplewood, MN 55109
Minneapolis, 1400 W 98th St, Minneapolis, MN 55431
Richfield, 6525 Penn Ave S, Richfield, MN 55423
Woodbury, 755 Bielenberg Dr, Woodbury, MN 55125

Cub Foods:

Cub Foods will be open on Thanksgiving Day, but their hours vary by location. It’s recommended to call ahead or check with your specific Cub Foods store to confirm their Thanksgiving hours.

Locations in the Twin Cities metro include:

St. Paul: 2001 S Robert St, 1440 University Ave W, 2197 Old Hudson Road, 1177 Clarence St
West St. Paul: 239 Winona St W
Inver Grove Heights: 7850 Cahill Road
Eagan: 1276 Town Centre Dr, 1020 Diffley Road, 1940 Cliff Lake Rd
Roseville: 1201 Larpenteur Ave W, 2100 Snelling Ave N
Maplewood: 100 W County Rd B, 2390 White Bear Ave
Minneapolis: 4601 Snelling Ave S, 2850 26th Ave S, 1540 New Brighton Blvd, 1104 Lagoon Ave, 5937 Nicollet Ave S
Woodbury: 8432 Tamarack Village
Bloomington: 8421 Lyndale Ave S
Cottage Grove: 8690 E Point Douglas Rd
White Bear Lake: 1920 Buerkle Road
Edina: 6775 York Ave S
Arden Hills: 3717 Lexington Ave N