A local dermatology office is sounding the alarm after a brazen attempt at a con job targeting medical professionals. A man called their office impersonating a DEA agent, which is an increasingly common scam targeting medical offices.

Watch our report in the video player below: DEA impersonators targeting medical offices and everyday citizens with fake fines

The scammer claimed to be a DEA agent named Daniel Patel and demanded to speak with doctors about an urgent matter, but an experienced office administrator recognized the red flags.

Part of it was when he hung up, he said God bless America, said Gladys Moore, a practice administrator at Affiliated Troy Dermatologists.

"The first one was in the morning asking for one provider and then after lunch time, I got another call from the exact same guy asking about one of my other doctors."

Moore, who has more than 30 years of experience, says this was the first scam call of this nature in her career. Her vigilance protected the practice from what could have been a costly fraud.

Moore described the caller as "very firm, very pushy." Instead of connecting him to the doctors, she took the man's information and alerted the DEA.

"So, I might get a call maybe twice a month from people all over the country about these DEA scams. And sometimes, they get cash from people Target, iTunes, Amazon gift cards. They're just so rattled, they're willing to do whatever it takes to, quote on quote, get the feds off their back," DEA spokesperson Brian McNeal said.

McNeal explained that what makes these scams believable is that the culprits sometimes dig up a doctor's DEA registration number which the agency provides to medical practitioners allowing them to prescribe drugs and the scammers sometimes use the names of actual DEA employees to seem more credible.

"So usually, the way the scam works is they will say that registration number has been involved in some type of illegal activity and that you must pay a fine or you'll face arrest," McNeal said.

Watch our full interview with Brian McNeal in the video player below: Full interview: Brian McNeal explains scammers impersonating DEA agents with fake fines

These so-called "fines" range anywhere from $2,000 to $10,000.

McNeal says these DEA impersonators don't just target doctors and people who prescribe drugs, they also go after regular everyday citizens.

"Where they get a call from someone saying they're with the DEA and that a rental car has been found on the border that was written in your name and it contains a ton of drugs and if you don't pay this fine, we're going to come after you and lock you up," McNeal said.

If you get a call from someone claiming to be from the DEA, know that if the agency wanted to contact you, they would show up at your door or send an official letter. So don't give any information over the phone. Instead, hang up and report the call to the Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.

This story was reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

Some waterfront residents are on the frontlines of a losing battle with an algae clogging their lakes, their canals and limiting their access to the water. One lawmakers bill would streamline the cleanup process.

This all actually used to be sandy beach along here, Hannah Wenzelburger said. We would launch kayaks and canoes, small fishing boats, jet skis off this little ramp here and every year, the muck just comes out and out.

Hannah Wenzelburger shows us the shoreline in the video player below: Web extra: Walk and talk on Lake St. Clair muck

Wenzelburger remembers what one Harrison Township shore used to be. For years, debris and muck in the form of M. wollei, a non-native form of algae, has been building up on Michigan shorelines including lake St. Clairs. Residents there recently added a walkway to keep from sinking while getting to the lake in the winter. 

Weve kinda given up on the summer aspect of it, but at least for ice fishing being able to get out, Wenzelburger said.

But no one moves to waterfront communities just to say "at least for ice fishing."

Left unchecked, this stuff could fill up the entire canal? reporter Randy Wimbley asked.

The entire canal. And so all the homeowners here that have boat wells and boats, they cant even get out and go boating on this lake, state Rep. Alicia St. Germaine said.

We walk the area with Michigan Rep. Alicia St. Germaine in the video player below: Web extra: State Rep. on Lake St. Clair muck

St. Germaine introduced a bill to cut through the red tape of more detailed cleanup efforts. Only hand-operated tools like rakes can be used without a permit from Michigans Environment, Great Lakes and Energy department.

Right now, they cannot just hire a contractor and get rid of this stuff. They have to go through a permit process and that can take months. By then, summer is over with and then next year, its going to keep building up, St. Germaine said. My bill is really simple: it only applies to free-floating muck, M. wollei or weeds or even trash, and it will allow a homeowner or condominium association to go in and clean it up without having to go through the permit process.

Hear more from Michigan Rep. Alicia St. Germaine in the video player below: Web extra: Alicia St. Germaine on Lake St. Clair muck

The muck accumulation has gotten so bad it overran a boat launch, prompting the Department of Natural Resources to build another one. If boats go through the muck stuff, operators risk clogging up and overheating their engines.

EGLE provided a statement saying:

EGLE is committed to keeping Michigan waters safe for residents enjoyment as part of its mission to protect public health and the environment. The department is aware of and reviewing Rep. St. Germaines bill.

Margaret Schandvel has lived in this waterfront community for nearly 60 years and says help cannot come soon enough.

If they dont do anything, its just going to grow by the day. Compared to last year, weve probably lost about 10, 12 feet of shoreline as a result of the muck building up, Schandvel said.

Renaissance Center Tower 600 in downtown Detroit has a new owner. It sold at auction back in March. The total cost? North of $9.4 million. The deal was finalized Thursday.

The new owner of Tower 600 beat out about 10 investors to secure the winning bid. He says its great location on the riverfront, its views and the future of downtown Detroit made it an opportunity he could not pass up.

Were committed to Detroit. We love Detroit. We appreciate all the transformation thats happened especially in the last 10 years, the new owner Dr. Mahomoud Al-Hadidi said.

Hear more from the new owner Dr. Mahomoud Al-Hadidi in the video player below: INTERVIEW: Hear more from the doctor who bought the RenCen tower

And now, Al-Hadidi will play a part in it. The retired pulmonologist from metro Detroit heads up the investment group Stockbridge Enterprises, which bought the tower. He says pulling the $9 million trigger on it was a no-brainer.

Growing up in my career, the Renaissance Center has been an icon Id like it to stay. It is going to be the icon of our city and we are going to make sure it stays that way, Al-Hadidi said.

So, whats Al-Hadidi's plan for the tower? Office space for corporations, relocating his firm Stockbridge Enterprises there and building high-end apartments.

They will not be small apartments, they will be 3,000, 4,000 square foot and bigger, and it will be for high-end residents with spectacular view, amazing security, access to Detroit, access to the riverwalk, Al-Hadidi said. Its going to be a dream for someone to live there and I might be one of them.

The tower is one of two buildings just east of the Central Five Towers, anchoring Detroits iconic skyline.

The deal comes as General Motors works with real estate magnate Dan Gilberts Bedrock Detroit for a $1.6 billion redevelopment plan for the Renaissance Center. It calls for the demolition of two of the original towers and revamping the remaining trio for a combination of housing, hotel and office space.

Al-Hadidi welcomes those plans, saying they would only increase the value of his tower, but if they dont come to fruition, it wont stop his efforts.

Theres a lot of excitement going on in downtown Detroit right now. Theres a lot of energy, theres a lot of investor appetite for the redevelopment of the Renaissance Center and I think the sale of Tower 600 proves that, Jared Friedman, co-CEO of Friedman Real Estate, said. Its great to see a new owner whos engaged and reinvesting capital into that building and he has some pretty cool plans for that.

The prior majority owner of Tower 600 was based in California. We asked Al-Hadidi what it means for the property to be back in local hands.

We appreciate outside investors, but this is our city and we own our city and were committed to our people and our city, Al-Hadidi said.

I think its really good. Keep it close to home, Detroiter Keith Bryant said.

Al-Hadidi says it will take one to two years to get those high-end apartments in Tower 600, but the leasing of office space will happen much sooner.

A Canton intersection has long been a bane to drivers in that area. It's the spot where Michigan Avenue and Sheldon Road intersect near Geddes Road.

A viewer tipped us off to problems there after 7 News Detroits Randy Wimbley spent the day there connecting with community members and stakeholders.

Standing here at the light, I had to pull out because the grass was so high and I was hard to see, I was in a low vehicle, and a pickup truck just ran me right over, Marta Gervais said.

It's one story after another.

Yes, it's a lot of accidents. I've actually lost a classmate - driver coming the wrong way hit her head on, Jazmine Williams said.

Canton Township records show there's been 157 crashes in this area since 2020. The causes range from careless driving to failing to yield, improper lane use, to being unable to stop in an assured clear distance (tailgating).

The causes for those crashes we see that everywhere all the time, and all of that is driver behavior. People going too fast, they're speeding, they're not using their turn signal, MDOT Spokeswoman Diane Cross said.

Gervais says it's not just about drivers but also the layout of the roads. At the intersection, you have Michigan Avenue, which is a state road, Sheldon, which is a county road, and Geddes, which cuts through both. All of it can be confusing for some drivers.

I think it's a bad design. Nobody pays attention, Gervais said.

Canton Township Supervisor Anne Marie Graham Hudak says they are working with the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) to make the intersection more efficient.

Roundabout, four-way stop, or maybe just not allowing on Geddes right there at all, make them go down to Canton Center to turn onto Geddes, Graham-Hudak said. We're waiting for experts to tell us the best way to do this.

Until then, Graham-Hudak is urging drivers to be attentive, alert, and take care.

Interview: Canton Township supervisor shares more on problematic intersection Interview: Canton Township supervisor shares more on problematic intersection

Were trying to promote driver safety all over Canton, but definitely thats a tricky intersection, she said. At the intersection, people have to be careful; they have to pay attention.

Where Your Voice Matters

The push to balance global trade could impact how much you pay for car insurance.

Insurify, which helps drivers compare quotes from multiple providers, says the increased cost of auto parts from tariffs will drive up Michigan auto insurance premiums by 17 to 20 percent by the years end.

As insurers try to pay for the cost of repairs, all of a sudden, repairs are more expensive because parts are more expensive, and insurers would stand to lose money, and when theyre in a situation like that, they often turn around and pass those cost increases onto consumers, Matt Brannon from Insurify said.

Brannon says Michiganders could pay, on average, an extra $400 a year. That news is blindsiding drivers like Margaret Whitaker.

Being a senior, which I am, it really hurts. Everything is changing as far as pricing is concerned, but our income is remaining the same, Whitaker said.

What are people going to do? Sherry Billingslea asked. Theyre not gonna pay for car insurance. Theyre going to pay for mortgage first, utilities first. Car insurance will be on the back burner.

We reached out to several top auto insurers for comment, but have not received a response.

Bob Passmore, Vice President of Auto and Claims at the American Property Casualty Insurance Association, says its difficult to determine how much each policyholder will have to pay.

If you have a six-month policy, you might see it the next time the policy renews in six months. More than likely, itll be longer than that. Most policies are 12 months, Passmore said.

The White House says its using the tariffs to strengthen the countrys economic position on the world stage and protect American workers. It cited a 2024 analysis that found that a global tariff of 10 percent would grow the economy by more than $700 billion, create nearly three million jobs, and increase household incomes.

Could we expect those premiums to go back down in a perfect world if auto parts were to go back down, or is this pretty much going to be the new normal? 7 News Detroit asked Brannon.

If tariffs went away, its so hard to say right now, its so rare for prices to go back down after they go up for the first time. You also have domestic suppliers that are likely to raise their prices to match what foreign suppliers would be doing, Brannon said.

Extended interview: Matt Brannon with Insurify on why insurance premiums will rise Extended interview: Matt Brannon with Insurify on why insurance premiums will rise

Erin McDonough, Executive Director of the Insurance Alliance of Michigan, provided a statement saying:

Thanks to bipartisan auto no-fault reforms passed in 2019, drivers have saved more than $8 billion in Personal Injury Protection (PIP) premiums and the fee assessed by the Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association. And that number continues to grow, reducing the cost of the PIP portion of consumers premium. If the supply chain is disrupted by the ongoing tariff issue, it could cause auto part costs to increase and lengthen the amount of time it takes to repair a vehicle, adding to the expense inflation has already added to the comp and collision portion of the auto insurance premium. While the impact of tariffs is largely out of our control, we can control cost drivers that impact auto insurance in the PIP portion of the premium by preserving and building upon the 2019 reforms. Reducing frivolous lawsuits would be another important step lawmakers can take that would have a real impact on the areas of auto insurance Michigan can control.

The Insurance Information Institute stated:

The tariffs announced yesterday, which will impact imported vehicles and auto parts, are expected to inflate the cost of new cars, repairs and used car values due to tight profit margins for manufacturers and the interconnected global supply chain. The tariffs could also lead to broader macroeconomic and geopolitical disruptions, potentially expanding the impact on U.S. property/casualty insurers. This could generate higher premiums for home insurance and business insurance. Some auto insurers have indicated the tariffs could lead to higher premiums by the end of 2025. For all consumers, auto rates would not change until their insurance policy is up for renewal. No premium changes will be implemented on existing policies.