Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Florida News

Jimmy Patronis Warns Floridians About Scams During Easter

On Wednesday, state Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis reminded Floridians to stay alert and beware of scams during the Easter holiday.

Reports indicated last year that families were scammed by fraudsters who claimed they were a vendor and would deliver and place Easter eggs outside of their home, but on Easter morning the eggs had not been distributed and they did not show up after payment had been received.

“Easter is a special time for Floridians and unfortunately fraudsters are always looking for devious ways to steal people’s joy and take advantage of the holiday. The new scam is for fraudsters to say they are going to place Easter eggs outside of your home and you pay them for the service, but they never come. Unfortunately, these scammers are working overtime to steal your hard earned money and I’m urging Floridians to stay vigilant and take the necessary precautions to protect yourself and your family. If you or someone you know is suspicious of fraudulent activity, please report it immediately at FraudFreeFlorida.com. Happy Easter!” Patronis said.

Four tips from Consumer Reports to protect yourself from common scams:

If It Sounds Too Good To Be True, It Is. Scammers often urge you to act immediately. If you take some time to think about the message or offer you’ve received before acting on it, you may be able to sidestep a scam.

Don’t Respond. Ignore texts, emails, and social media messages if you’re unsure about who the sender or it seems suspicious. Contact the sender who the message might be mimicking to confirm whether the message or email is real. Never give your personal or financial info to anyone who contacts you out of the blue.

Check Before You Click. Don’t click on links in email and texts if you have any uncertainty; some may put your device’s security in jeopardy. Hovering your mouse over a link in an email will reveal the entire URL, which may help you determine if it’s fraudulent. Case in point: An “.ru” at the end of a URL means the link you thought was to a local retailer was created in Russia.

Pay Wisely. Use your credit card for online purchases. Also, only use payment methods like Cash App, Venmo, and Zelle with people you know and trust.




Author

  • Florida Daily offers news, insights and analysis as we cover the most important issues in the state, from education, to business and politics.

    View all posts

Archives

Related Stories

Political News

With Florida’s First Congressional District seat up for grabs, the Sunshine State’s former Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis is receiving support from national...

Florida News

Florida State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis is encouraging all Floridians to practice fire safety while cooking during the Thanksgiving Holiday. According to the National Fire...

Political News

Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis announced that he may run in the special election for Florida Congressional District 1. In a post on...

Economy News

Florida Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis and the Florida Department of Financial Services (DFS) launched the “My Safe Florida Condo” pilot program, a...

Political News

As Bitcoin regains momentum with investors, Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis is imploring state leaders to consider cryptocurrency as a potential component of Florida’s state retirement system.Last...

Crime News

Below is an official statement from the office of Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis: Florida Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis announced the arrest of...

Florida Hurricanes

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis highlighted the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers activation of Operation Blue Roof for several counties in Florida...

Environment

Florida Chief Financial Officer (CFO) & State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis issued a warning to residents and first responders about an alarming fire hazard...