The Consumer Fraud Unit of the Delaware Department of Justice warns Delawareans to be wary of unauthorized and fraudulent telephone solicitations in the wake of the recent tragedy involving two Wilmington firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty.

DOJ has become aware of potentially fraudulent calls to Delaware homes in the last few days. Often scammers will try to take advantage of tragic current events or natural disasters to convince people to donate money. While there are often legitimate fundraising efforts underway in such circumstances, there may be others that are not. Thus, it is important to keep in mind the following when answering an unsolicited call on behalf of any purported charitable cause.

Delaware law requires callers to supply you with certain information, including:
• Whether they are a paid fundraiser;
• Where they are calling from, including company name and location;
• The charity for which the funds are being raised;
• The amount of the consumer’s donation that will actually go to the charity;
• If the charitable solicitation is on behalf of an individual(s) or their family, whether the party soliciting you has permission from the individual(s) or their family to make use of that person’s name, picture or likeness in their charitable solicitations; and
• If they are calling on behalf of police, fire or law enforcement, they must either be an actual law enforcement employee or have written permission from the state, county or local first responder organization to make the call.

Those who wish to contribute toward a fund benefitting families of the fallen firefighters may want to contact the Wilmington Fire Department directly.

Scam solicitations supposedly on behalf of firefighters are unfortunately somewhat common. In July, the Delaware Department of Justice announced an agreement with Michigan-based Firefighter Support Services to cease making solicitation phone calls into Delaware that were supposedly on behalf of firefighters, and to forfeit almost $6000 in contributions made from Delawareans since 2011. In August, the Michigan Attorney General’s Office announced the organization would cease operations after an investigation.

The DOJ Consumer Protection Unit reminds you to never give your credit card or bank account information in response to one of these calls. Someone calling you to make a legitimate telephone solicitation on behalf of a charitable organization should be willing to mail you a written donation form and envelope. If you wish to donate to your local fire company, you should visit your local fire house to make your donation in person.

You can make sure a charity is legitimate by visiting the Better Business Bureau, Charity Navigator, or the American Institute of Philanthropy where you can view lists of verified charities. For online donations, ensure that the solicitation website and the purported charity match and that the website is secure.

Anyone who suspects they have been scammed or have received a suspicious solicitation can call the Attorney General’s toll-free Consumer Hotline at 1-800-220-5424 or email the Consumer Protection Unit at consumer.protection@delaware.gov.

SLAUGHTER BEACH – The DuPont Nature Center at Mispillion Harbor Reserve has closed for the year, and will reopen Saturday, April 1, 2017 for the busy spring and summer seasons. The center is owned and operated by DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife and provides programming and exhibits about Delaware Bayshore aquatic life.

The DuPont Nature Center closes during the fall and winter months when there is less public use of the center, which makes better use of the limited federal Sport Fish Restoration Funds used to operate the center. Cost savings from the winter closure supports aquatic education programs during spring and summer when public programs and visitation are in most demand.

Federal Sport Fish Restoration Funds also support construction and maintenance of public boat ramps and fishing piers throughout the state, as well as a variety of the Division of Fish & Wildlife’s Fisheries research, survey and management programs. For more information, visit http://de.gov/wsfrde.

Perched on the edge of Mispillion Harbor at the intersection of the mouths of the Mispillion River and Cedar Creek, the DuPont Nature Center at Mispillion Harbor Reserve offers a variety of interactive exhibits, school tours and educational programs. In the spring, its location offers wildlife watchers a front-row seat for the spring spectacle of spawning horseshoe crabs and migrating shorebirds, including the red knot, that depend on horseshoe crab eggs to help fuel their 9,000-mile journey. A Delaware Division of Fish & Wildlife facility, the center is located at 2992 Lighthouse Road, east of Milford. Admission is free and open to the public. For more information about the DuPont Nature Center and its programs, please call 302-422-1329 or visit http://de.gov/dnc.

Media contact: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 46, No. 353

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Contact: Kesha Braunskill, Delaware Forest Service, (302) 698-4578 email: kesha.braunskill@delaware.gov

DOVER, DE — School is in full swing but the official end of summer does not mean the end of mosquito season. Mosquitoes can breed and bite for another several weeks in Delaware. To prevent the spread of Zika and any mosquito-borne illness, the Division of Public Health (DPH) and Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) reminds you that stopping the mosquito bite is still the best protection against disease.

Delaware now has 15 Zika cases, including four not previously announced. All cases were caused by mosquito bites while traveling abroad. There is currently no evidence that local mosquitoes are transmitting the illness. All but one of the Delaware Zika cases are in adults and none are pregnant. One of the most recent cases is in an infant who got the illness while traveling abroad. All individuals have recovered well and are showing no long-term effects at this time. Of the 15 Delaware cases, nine are in New Castle County and three each are in Kent and Sussex counties.

It is possible that someone who is traveling abroad and gets bitten by a mosquito carrying Zika virus could bring the disease back to Delaware. A returning traveler carrying Zika could be bitten by a Delaware mosquito that picks up the virus, bites another person and transmits the disease as they feed on their blood. This is likely how Zika spread to south Florida and much of Latin America and the Caribbean. The mosquito of greatest concern in Delaware for possible local transmission of Zika is the Asian tiger mosquito, commonly found where people live, work, and play.

None of the 15 Delaware individuals confirmed with Zika could locally transmit the virus if bitten by a mosquito now. After about seven days of exposure, the virus clears from the blood so the individual can no longer transmit it to others through a mosquito bite. However, it is still possible for the adults to transmit the disease sexually, and DPH has instructed any provider treating a patient with a positive test on how to prevent sexual transmission.

“At Public Health, our biggest concern remains for pregnant women because we know that a fetus infected with Zika can have devastating consequences,” said DPH Director Dr. Karyl Rattay. “We are still telling pregnant women to avoid countries where Zika transmission is active and their sexual partners to be tested if they recently traveled to those areas. If the sexual partner has confirmed Zika, the couple should abstain from sex or use condoms and other barrier methods until the baby is born.”

Women who are trying to become pregnant and have been diagnosed with Zika virus or have symptoms of Zika, should wait at least eight weeks after symptoms first appeared before trying to conceive. Men who have been diagnosed with Zika virus or have symptoms are advised to wait at least six months after symptoms first appeared before having vaginal, oral, or anal unprotected sex.

To learn more about which countries have active Zika visit the CDC’s website here. Delaware Public Health and DNREC both provide fact sheets on the Zika virus, as found here.

“Most of us think that once the kids go back to school, we don’t need to worry about mosquito bites,” said DNREC Mosquito Control Administrator William Meredith. “But mosquitoes can continue to breed and bite until the first hard frost which can be as late as November. We still need to be vigilant in protecting against bites and reducing mosquito populations.”

To reduce the risk of mosquito bites, use Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registered insect repellents; stay in places with air conditioning or that use window or door screens to keep mosquitoes outside; sleep under a mosquito bed net if you are outside and not able to protect yourself from mosquitoes; treat clothing and gear with permethrin available in pharmacies or purchase permethrin-treated items; and wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants. And, do not allow any standing water or puddles near your home.

To learn more about how to reduce mosquitoes around your home, two videos with information about Zika virus and backyard water sanitation tips also are available on DNREC’s YouTube Channel: Zika Virus, Mosquitoes and You, and Mosquito Control & Your Backyard.

To report intolerable numbers of biting mosquitoes and request local relief, residents are encouraged to call Mosquito Control’s field offices:
• Glasgow Office, 302-836-2555, serving New Castle County and the northern half of Kent County, including Dover
• Milford Office, 302-422-1512, serving the southern half of Kent County south of Dover and all of Sussex County
• For more information about Delaware’s Mosquito Control program, call the field offices or the main Dover office at 302-739-9917, or visit de.gov/mosquito.

Zika is a generally mild illness caused by a virus primarily transmitted through the bite of infected Aedes mosquitoes. About one in five people infected with the virus develop the disease, and most people who are infected do not develop symptoms. The most common symptoms of Zika virus infection are fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis (red eyes). However, while it is often mild, Zika has been linked to serious birth defects in infants whose mothers were infected during the pregnancy and rare but serious health complications in adults.

A person who is deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind or speech-disabled can call the DPH phone number above by using TTY services. Dial 7-1-1 or 800-232-5460 to type your conversation to a relay operator, who reads your conversation to a hearing person at DPH. The relay operator types the hearing person’s spoken words back to the TTY user. To learn more about TTY availability in Delaware, visit http://delawarerelay.com.

Delaware Health and Social Services is committed to improving the quality of the lives of Delaware’s citizens by promoting health and well-being, fostering self-sufficiency, and protecting vulnerable populations. DPH, a division of DHSS, urges Delawareans to make healthier choices with the 5-2-1 Almost None campaign: eat 5 or more fruits and vegetables each day, have no more than 2 hours of recreational screen time each day (includes TV, computer, gaming), get 1 or more hours of physical activity each day, and drink almost no sugary beverages.

Commissioner Stewart helps Baby Boomers and Gen Xers navigate empty nest reversal

 DOVER, DE — Nearly half of adults in their 40s and 50s have a parent age 65 or older and are either raising a young child or financially supporting an adult child.¹ These baby boomers and members of Generation X are feeling the pressure of empty nest reversal from boomerangs – adult children returning home to live – and live-in elders – seniors trading their current home for a loved one’s spare bedroom. In addition to negotiating cooking and cleaning responsibilities, Delaware Insurance Commissioner Karen Weldin Stewart encourages families to make sure everyone understands how a change in address might affect insurance needs.

“American households are experiencing a dramatic shift. Whether it’s aging parents moving in with their grown children or young adults moving back in with mom and dad — today’s households come in all shapes and sizes,” said Stewart. “As family dynamics evolve, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and I urge consumers to understand the insurance implications of their unique living arrangements.”

Aging Relatives 

For seniors, moving in with an adult child can be uncomfortable. Before the first box is packed, parent and child need to talk about finances, including insurance.

Consider the following questions:

• Are you current on health, auto and life insurance premium payments?
• Are you covered by Medicare?
• Is long-term care insurance something we should look into?
• What are your end-of-life wishes?

This level of detail will help both parties decide what changes, if any, need to be made to existing coverage. Most importantly, seek to make your loved one feel cared about, not cared for. 

Boomerang Kids 

For the first time in more than 130 years, adults 18-34 years old are more likely to be living with their parents than in any other scenario — including living with a spouse or partner, other family or friends, or alone.² Experts say hosting an adult child can cost between $8,000 and $18,000 per year.³

Before welcoming an adult child back home, set clear expectations:

• How will health insurance be covered? Who will pay for what?
• Will we combine auto policies? How will driving records affect premiums?
• What belongings are you bringing? Will expensive items such as electronics or sporting equipment increase homeowner’s insurance premiums?

To avoid misunderstandings, the NAIC developed the Welcome Home contract. In addition to outlining basic rules of adult co-habitation, the document places under signature key insurance-related agreements between adult child and parent.

For insurance tips to help modern households of all shapes and sizes including baby boomers, same-sex couples, single parents, millennials and more, visit InsureUonline.org. Delawareans interested in state-specific insurance information can contact the Department of Insurance at 1-800-282-8611 or visit http://www.delawareinsurance.gov/.

Sources

¹ Pew Research Center

² Pew Research Center

³ The Wall Street Journal

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