New Minnesota law can block a financial predator from your home and your bank account

A new law protects vulnerable adults

Minnesota now gives victims of financial exploitation a powerful new tool.

A law that took effect Jan. 1, 2026, lets people petition a court for a protection order that can freeze assets, block contact with a suspected exploiter, and even bar that person from the victim’s home.

The measure passed the Minnesota House 128-4 as part of a larger public safety bill. Courts must hold a hearing within 14 days of a filing.

Both parties backed the bill

The law came together with support from both sides of the aisle. Rep. Paul Novotny, a Republican from Elk River, led the effort in the House.

Sen. Ron Latz, a Democrat from St. Louis Park, sponsored it in the Senate. Rep. Kelly Moller, also a Democrat, signed on as a cosponsor.

The law creates a civil remedy, not a criminal one. Its goal is to stop the harm and protect assets, not to punish.

Courts can freeze accounts and block contact

The protection orders give judges a wide range of options.

A court can freeze bank accounts and lines of credit, cut off all contact between the suspected exploiter and the victim, and remove that person from the victim’s home.

Even while assets are frozen, judges can order that the vulnerable adult’s living expenses keep getting paid. Courts can also add any other protections they think are needed for the situation.

Several types of people can file

You don’t have to be the victim to ask the court for help.

A guardian, conservator, or someone with power of attorney can file on behalf of a vulnerable adult. So can any person or organization acting with the adult’s consent.

Someone who is filing for emergency conservatorship at the same time can also petition. The law makes the process as accessible as possible for people trying to protect a loved one.

Filing is free and courts move fast

Neither side pays a filing fee, and the court must schedule a hearing within 14 days. In urgent cases, a judge can issue a temporary emergency order before the hearing even happens.

Anyone who files a petition must also submit a maltreatment report within 24 hours if one hasn’t already been made. Court forms are available through the Minnesota Judicial Branch website.

The state also offers simplified paperwork and clerical help to guide people through the process.

Protection covers more than just seniors

The word “vulnerable” here doesn’t just mean elderly.

Under Minnesota law, a vulnerable adult is anyone 18 or older who lives in a licensed care facility or who has a physical, mental, or emotional condition that makes it hard to care for themselves or stay safe from harm.

That broad definition means the law can protect younger adults with disabilities just as well as it protects older people.

Violators face real consequences

Breaking a protection order is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a fine of up to $1,000. A second violation within 10 years bumps up to a gross misdemeanor.

A third offense in that same window can be charged as a felony carrying up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.

One safeguard for respondents: anything they say at the protection order hearing can’t be used against them in a criminal case.

Elder fraud losses keep climbing nationwide

This law arrives at a time when financial exploitation of older Americans is surging.

In 2024, people aged 60 and older reported about $4.9 billion in losses to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, a roughly 43% jump from the year before.

The FBI received over 147,000 complaints from that age group, up about 46% from 2023. The real numbers are likely much higher, since many victims never report being scammed.

Scammers use tech support and crypto schemes

Tech support and customer support fraud rank among the most common scams targeting people over 60. But investment scams, especially those tied to cryptocurrency, cause the biggest financial losses.

Romance and confidence scams also remain a steady threat. The FBI found that older adults lost more to call center fraud than every other age group combined.

About 7,500 victims aged 60 and older each lost more than $100,000 in 2024.

Trusted people commit about one in five cases

Financial exploitation generally falls into two buckets: scams by strangers and theft by someone the victim knows. A FinCEN analysis found that about 80% of reported cases involve strangers or imposters.

The other 20% involve someone the victim trusts. In those cases, adult children were the most common offenders.

Family members showed up as perpetrators in nearly half of incidents reported to the National Center on Elder Abuse.

Other states are tightening their laws too

Minnesota isn’t acting alone. In 2024, Florida, Kansas, Virginia, and Wisconsin all passed laws giving banks more power to delay suspicious transactions and report suspected exploitation.

Michigan’s Financial Exploitation Prevention Act has been on the books since 2021, and Alabama was one of the first states to pass similar legislation back in 2016.

At the federal level, five financial regulatory agencies and FinCEN issued a joint statement in December 2024 pushing institutions to strengthen elder exploitation protections.

How Minnesotans can take action now

Speed matters here. Even a few days of delay can give a thief enough time to move stolen money out of reach.

Filing a petition is free, and courts provide simplified forms and clerical help. Petition forms are available online through the Minnesota Judicial Branch.

Anyone who suspects exploitation can also contact the Minnesota Adult Abuse Reporting Center.

The law doesn’t replace criminal charges but gives families a faster civil path to lock down assets while other investigations play out.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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