MDH warns bars, restaurants of scam claiming they owe fine for masking violations

The Minnesota Department of Health is warning businesses to watch out for a scam making the rounds.

According to MDH, some restaurants have received calls stating their businesses were part of a scheduled compliance check and they owe a fine for masking violations.

MDH said, in one recent incident, none of the state agencies involved in ongoing enforcement efforts had conducted a compliance check in the area.

Businesses should know that MDH or local public health agencies will work with them over a series of inspections before any fine would become necessary, and MDH wouldn’t issue a fine on an initial inspection.

Anyone affected by the scam is urged to contact law enforcement. You can also contact the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office at 1-800-657-3787.