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TALLAHASSEE, FL – The Attorney General's Office today issued a consumer advisory urging consumers who may have been affected by data breaches this year to remain vigilant in monitoring their credit reports, bank accounts, and other personal information to detect any improper activity as quickly as possible. Data breaches can expose millions of consumers’ personal information, including Social Security numbers, bank accounts, mortgage information and credit and debit card numbers.

Recent data breaches include breaches at the Agency for Workforce Innovation, the University of Florida’s School of Dentistry, Countrywide Financial and the Bank of New York Mellon. The Attorney General’s Office regularly receives complaints and inquiries from concerned consumers and companies alike on this issue.

In the wake of a data breach, affected consumers are encouraged to take the following precautions to protect against identity theft:

- Carefully review credit and debit card statements and monitor all transactions. If unauthorized activity is detected, consumers should immediately contact their card company and/or bank.

- Request a copy of his or her credit report. The only official source for free annual reports is http://www.annualcreditreport.com. The website works in conjunction with the three national credit reporting companies.

- If fraud has occurred, consumers should report the incident to the fraud department of the three major credit bureaus; contact the fraud department of each of their creditors; contact their bank or financial institution; and report the incident to law enforcement.

- Contact the entity which experienced the breach. The company or agency may be offering credit monitoring service or other assistance to affected individuals.

In Florida, businesses and government agencies are required under Florida Statutes Section 817.5681 to notify any affected individuals if a data breach has exposed personal information. The Attorney General’s Office also urges the breached entity to immediately contain the breach to ensure personal information isn’t further compromised and to implement remedial steps to address information security including issues implicated by the original breach.

Consumers whose personal information may have been affected may file a complaint by calling the Attorney General's fraud hotline at 1-866-9-NO-SCAM (1-866-966-7226) or submitting the information online at http://myfloridalegal.com. Additional information about identity theft, tips to protect individuals and recovery information is available online at: http://myfloridalegal.com/identitytheft.