Week In Review
This week, I issued a Consumer Alert to remind Floridians that restitution is still available for victims of tech support scams. However, the deadline is fast approaching and eligible consumers must file a claim soon. The multimillion dollar claims process is the result of action taken by my…
During these unprecedented times brought on by COVID-19, many are feeling anxious and uncertain about their finances. In response to the financial hardship related to the pandemic, the three national credit reporting agencies—Equifax, Experian and Transunion—are offering consumers free weekly…
July is National Military Consumer Protection Month, a time to remind our service members and veterans that the Florida Attorney General’s Office is here to offer assistance. So, this week we released our 2020 Military Consumer Protection Resource Guide. It is my hope that this guide will help…
It all started with what the public would call a routine traffic stop, although anyone who works with law enforcement knows there is no such thing. That stop in January caused deputies at the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office to launch a crucial investigation that led to the rescue of five…
Just one week after I joined President Donald J. Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and U.S. Attorney General William Barr for a discussion on policing in America, the President took meaningful action to strengthen the trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve. I was honored to…
This week, I joined President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, U.S. Attorney General William Barr and law enforcement leaders from across our country at the White House for a discussion on policing. As Florida’s Attorney General, a former federal prosecutor, judge and wife of a law…
Hurricane season is here and in Florida that means hoping for the best but preparing for the worst. This week, I released our 2020 Hurricane Preparedness Guide, full of tips and tools to help Floridians get ready for a tropical storm or hurricane—should disaster strike. There have already been…
We are living in extraordinary times, and as we all have learned, just because we have been forced to focus on COVID-19 doesn’t mean our other challenges have gone away. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen reports of an increase in opioid-related overdoses in Florida, affecting some as…
This week, I issued a Consumer Alert for Floridians with loved ones residing in nursing homes or assisted living facilities. Reports of these facilities seizing residents’ stimulus payments are beginning to surface nationwide. According to the Federal Trade Commission, some facility operators…
As you may know by now, I am a huge supporter of law enforcement. One of my top priorities as Attorney General is to foster better relationships between our law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve. And as the wife of a law enforcement officer, I know first-hand the sacrifice and…
Throughout this health crisis we have seen a steady increase in COVID-19 related robocalls, and this week, my office, along with a bipartisan coalition of 52 attorneys general, requested more tools to stop these scam messages. We are urging USTelecom and its Industry Traceback Group to further…
I make it a priority to regularly recognize in person our outstanding law enforcement officers and the citizens going out of their way to support them. Their efforts are honored through our Back the Blue Award, but with Floridians social distancing to stop the spread of COVID-19, we temporarily…
Unprecedented times call for unprecedented measures—like statewide stay-at-home orders and prolonged social distancing. Most Floridians are following the rules and doing their part to slow the spread of COVID-19. I want to encourage Floridians to continue working together to help us stop this…
It will take a statewide team if we are going to beat COVID-19, and that is why I partnered with a Floridian who knows a lot about teamwork—University of Florida football legend and three-time Super Bowl Champion Emmitt Smith, to encourage Floridians to join our team in fighting the pandemic.…
With more Floridians than ever before working from home and holding virtual meetings, a new trend called Zoombombing is emerging. This week, I issued a Consumer Alert to warn Floridians of this new threat to online privacy. Zoombombing occurs when hackers hijack internet video conferences, like…
As the federal government prepares to make payments mandated through the coronavirus stimulus package, scammers are making efforts to steal those benefits. This week, I issued a Consumer Alert to warn Floridians about emerging stimulus scams and provide tips to help them avoid falling prey to…
As we continue to fight the COVID-19 pandemic impacting our state, an altogether different type of disease is emerging—scammers using the crisis to rip off Floridians. We will not tolerate anyone taking advantage of Floridians who are simply trying to protect the health and safety of their…
This week, I issued a Consumer Alert to warn Floridians about scams related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Recently, a malicious website displaying a live map of COVID-19 cases mimicking a legitimate map by Johns Hopkins University was reported. Clicking on the website releases malware that can…
This week, Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in response to the spread of COVID-19 in Florida. When the governor makes an emergency declaration, the state’s price gouging laws go into effect. To help deter any price gouging related to COVID-19, I activated Florida’s Price…
This week, we celebrated National Consumer Protection Week by providing tips and highlighting the millions of dollars in recoveries obtained for consumers in Florida and nationwide. Protecting consumers is a major focus of our office and over the past year, we have launched several major…