JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – It's one of the biggest complaints to our I-TEAM: being cheated out of money. Now Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis has announced a new plan to catch criminals and scammers all across the state.
Patronis launched "Fraud Free Florida" Monday, a new initiative to bring together state and local law enforcement agencies, state and local prosecutors, as well as private sector stakeholders to take on rampant fraud and stay one step ahead of new scams.
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"Fraud Free Florida is what we’re doing on behalf of citizens in the state of Florida to ensure that every single one of their dollars is in their pocket and not some fraudster's," Patronis told I-TEAM Investigator Tarik Minor.
The new initiative joins the ranks of Patronis’ Division of Investigative and Forensic Services, which includes the Disaster Fraud Action Strike Team aimed at curbing hurricane-related insurance fraud, as well as his Division of Public Assistance Fraud.
"We see it after every hurricane, millions of dollars are stolen as crooks prey on Florida families in their time of need to make a quick buck," Patronis said.
According to Patronis, his Investigative and Forensic Services Divison is one of the top law enforcement agencies in the state dedicated to rooting out fraud and investigating financial crimes. He says Fraud Free Florida will help agencies better collaborate on fraud cases and identify legislative changes needed to make Florida the toughest state in the nation on fraud.
“Florida is first in fraud and second in identity theft in the whole United States. That is just simply unacceptable," Patronis told us.
The Federal Trade Commission reports, in 2017 alone, Florida residents lost $54.7 million to fraud, and 31,167 fraud cases involved identity theft.
"We’ve created a proactive portal where instances of fraud, scam email, you name it, can be sent to the state and we’re going to do our own followup to ensure that our citizens are informed and protected as we partner with law enforcement,” Patronis told the I-TEAM.
"We must use innovative ways to stay two steps ahead of criminals who want to take your identity, steal money from families who need it, and prey on vulnerable Floridians," he said.
To report fraud and scams go to FraudFreeFlorida.com.