CA: Tips to Protect Info on Data Privacy Day

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody is urging Floridians to take action to guard sensitive information in recognition of 2021 Data Privacy Day. To raise awareness about this year’s theme, Own Your Privacy, Attorney General Moody is offering tips to help individuals take charge and protect sensitive information.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “Hackers and scammers are thrilled that COVID-19 has forced millions of people to work remotely—providing more opportunity to steal sensitive information. That is why it is so important to own your privacy. In recognition of this year’s Data Privacy Day theme, I am issuing a Consumer Alert filled with tips and information to help Floridians own their privacy and secure their information online.”

Attorney General Moody is urging Floridians to follow the steps below to better secure sensitive information online:

• Always change the default password of a new account or device;
• Create strong passwords that use a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and special characters;
• Never use the same password across multiple accounts;
• Use strong security questions with answers that cannot be easily guessed or found online;
• Enable multifactor authentication whenever possible;
• Do not use public WiFi networks to sign into accounts or transmit private information; and
• Never provide financial or account information in response to an unsolicited email, phone call, text or social media message.

Attorney General Moody issued a Scams at a Glance brochure that provides warning signs that identity theft may have occurred, additional ways to guard private information and steps to recover from identity theft.

To download Scams at a Glance: Identity Theft in English, click here.

To download Scams at a Glance: Identity Theft in Spanish, click here.

Scams at a Glance is an outreach program created by the Attorney General’s Office, complete with a webpage containing information about common and emerging scams. The webpage also provides downloadable brochures designed to equip consumers with knowledge about how to avoid falling victim to fraud. All Scams at a Glance brochures are free to download and are available in both English and Spanish.

To access the Scams at a Glance webpage for more content related to common scams, click here.

Anyone who encounters identity theft should contact the Attorney General’s Office by calling 1(866) 9NO-SCAM or visiting MyFloridaLegal.com.


The Florida Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division issues Consumer Alerts to inform Floridians of emerging scams, new methods used to commit fraud, increased reports of common scams, or any other deceptive practice. Consumer Alerts are designed to notify Floridians about scams and available refunds in an effort to prevent financial losses or other harm caused by deceptive practices. Anyone encountering a scam should report the incident to the Florida Attorney General's Office by calling 1(866) 9NO-SCAM or visiting MyFloridaLegal.com. To view recent Consumer Alerts and for other information about avoiding scams, visit MyFloridaLegal.com/ConsumerAlert.