MN Commerce Dept launches senior fraud prevention campaign

SAINT PAUL – The Minnesota Commerce Department is convening a series of free public forums to provide information for older Minnesotans and their family caregivers on how to protect themselves and their money from common scams and fraud.

Older adults are often targeted for financial exploitation. It is estimated that one out of every five persons over the age of 65 has been victimized by a financial swindle, with older Americans defrauded out of nearly $3 billion each year. The threat of senior financial fraud is expected to grow as the senior population itself grows.

To provide older Minnesotans and their loved ones with the knowledge and tools to stop fraud before it starts, the Commerce Department is working with law enforcement, social service agencies and groups such as AARP Minnesota, Minnesota Elder Justice Center and Senior LinkAge Line (Minnesota Board on Aging).

A free copy of the Commerce Department’s financial fraud prevention toolkit can be requested by email at consumer.protection@state.mn.us or by phone at 800-657-3602. It is also available on the Commerce Department website (mn.gov/commerce).

Senior Fraud Prevention Events

Monday, December 4, 11:00 a.m. Hennepin County Library-Edina 5280 Grandview Square, Edina

Tuesday, December 5, 9:30 a.m. Cora McCorvey Center: Heritage Park, 1015 N. 4th St., Minneapolis

Thursday, December 7, 12:30 p.m. Rochester Public Library, 101 2nd St. SE, Rochester

Friday, December 8, 11:00 a.m. Whitney Senior Center, 1527 Northway Dr., St. Cloud

Tuesday, December 12, 11:00 a.m. Duluth Public Library, 520 W. Superior, Duluth

Thursday, December 14, 2:00 p.m. Realife Cooperative of Phalen Village, 1355 Phalen Blvd., St Paul

CRES Seeks Partners on Class Projects

CROOKSTON, Minn. – Entrepreneurs and small business owners can receive valuable assistance through an opportunity offered by the Center for Rural Entrepreneurial Studies (CRES) at the University of Minnesota Crookston. CRES is seeking regional entrepreneurs and small business owners interested working with UMC students on a class project for their business.  Potential projects may include, but are not limited to, marketing and management strategies, business plans, assistance with accounting software, marketing research, competitive analysis, social media marketing, and other projects identified by the client.  All projects are completed by U of M Crookston students under the guidance of qualified faculty at no cost.

Each semester, both spring and fall, CRES integrates projects into courses offered on campus. These projects become an integral part of the course curriculum and are designed to benefit small business owners and entrepreneurs while providing students with real-world business experiences.

Applications for the program are accepted anytime; however, priority is given to applications received prior to the due dates. The 2018 spring semester application deadline is Friday, December 15, 2017. Interested individuals and business can apply for assistance at www.umccres.org/apply.  All applications are screened by CRES and the projects that best fit the mission of CRES and enhance the learner outcomes for the course will be contacted for a follow-up meeting to determine guidelines, client expectations, and to review other relevant information regarding participation.

For more information about the opportunity, contact Rachel Lundbohm, director of CRES at 218-281-8190 (rlundboh@umn.edu) or visit the CRES Web site at www.umccres.org. The CRES office is located in Dowell Hall 117 on the Crookston campus.

DNR announces 17 parcels for December land sale

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources will offer 17 parcels for sale in three public oral bid auctions in December. Property information, auction instructions and a map of the parcels can be found on the DNR’s land sale webpage at www.dnr.state.mn.us

The properties include unimproved recreational land in Anoka, Beltrami, Big Stone, Houston, Hubbard, Koochiching, Mahnomen, Meeker, Norman, Otter Tail, Pine, Wabasha and Wadena counties and lakeshore property in St. Louis County.

Public auction details, parcel information and the latest updates are available online at www.dnr.state.mn.us/lands_minerals/landsale/. Call 651-259-5432, (888) MINNDNR or email min.landsale@state.mn.us for more information.

Fish houses and wheelhouses require license purchase for ice fishing

Beginning this ice fishing season, anglers using a wheelhouse type of ice or dark-house shelter are required to purchase a license to place the shelter on the ice, even when occupying it.

A new definition for portable shelters has been provided in law, which states that a portable shelter is one that collapses, folds or is disassembled for transportation.

“Wheeled fish houses, which formerly were considered portable – and thus excluded from licensing requirements for shelters – will now need to be licensed,” said Al Stevens, fisheries survey and systems consultant with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. “In the past, anglers using wheelhouses could use them without shelter licenses as long as they were occupied, including overnight.” 

A shelter meeting the new definition of portable only needs a license when a person leaves it unattended, meaning they are farther than 200 feet from the shelter.

The change pursued by the DNR and enabled by 2017 legislation accompanied hunting and angling fee increases. An annual resident shelter license is $16. A three-year license is $43. Owners of houses to be rented pay $31 annually or $88 for a three-year license.

A valid license tag must be attached to the outside of the fish house in a readily visible location. On border waters, a shelter license is not required on the Minnesota side if the neighboring state doesn’t require a shelter license for its waters.    

To learn more about the fishing and hunting license dollars are spent, visit mndnr.gov/licensedollarsatwork. Shelter or fishing licenses can be purchased at DNR license agents across Minnesota, by phone at 888-665-4236 or online at mndnr.gov/buyalicense.