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identity theft

Blake Dowling: With rising cybercrime, it’s good hearing bad guys get caught

in Apolitical/Top Headlines by

Over the years, I have composed dozens of columns on cyberthreats, skimming credit cards at the pump, boss-phishing, crypto locker, identity theft, and in a lot of the stories, you don’t hear about the bad guys getting the hammer. The Department of Homeland Security has an enormous task of defending government agencies from nation-state cyberattacks, as well as criminals on our own turf. They usually don’t have time for Joe-Bob average citizen. Same for identity theft. If you have your…

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Email scam targets Lottery players

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The Florida Lottery is warning of an emailed scam seeking financial and other personal information, according to a Thursday news release. “The email includes the Florida Lottery logo and uses the Florida Lottery headquarters’ address as part of the letterhead,” the statement said. The scam letter also refers to LinkedIn and Microsoft. “The email states that the recipient has won a prize and should contact the listed ‘Contact Person’ to claim his or her prize,” it says. Once someone reaches the “Contact Person,” scammers then…

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Kick off 2016 by protecting your kid’s credit

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Thanks to the Florida Legislature parents can ring in the New Year by making sure their children’s identities are protected. More than 50,000 youngsters are the victims of identity theft each year in Florida accounting for more than $100 million in losses. A law created in 2014 allowed parents to freeze their children’s credit. Before that law, spearheaded by Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, only adults could freeze their credit. The new year is a great time to be reminded…

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Today on Context Florida: High-functioning Democrats, Escambia ZIP Codes and identity theft

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Today on Context Florida: According to Daniel Tilson, the 99 percent of us who haven’t benefited from — and in many cases have been harmed or held back by — almost 20 years of increasingly conservative Republican domination of Florida government and public policy, deserve and desperately need a high-functioning opposition party with a specific plan and timeframe for restoring political and legislative balance to our state. After all, independent and Republican 99-percenters benefit just as much as Democrats do from…

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What happens when a child’s identity is stolen?

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Welcome to another installation of “my bad luck is your source for information!” About six months ago, I reported my identity had been used by someone somewhere to file an unemployment claim. I was lucky. All it took were a handful of phone calls, a few hours and some mildly aggravating music-on-hold in order to sort the matter out. But just because the thief hadn’t accessed any of my financial information, that didn’t mean I was in the clear. Bank…

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Kathy Castor to host fraud prevention seminar in Tampa

in The Bay and the 'Burg by

U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor is hosting a consumer protection and fraud protection workshop Wednesday from 10 a.m. until noon. While the event falls on April Fools Day, it’s no laughing matter. According to a Federal Trade Commission report, Florida has the highest per capita rate of reported fraud in the nation. The workshop will address ways for consumers to protect themselves from being victims of fraud. “These days, there are many more faces of fraud and scams can go viral rapidly.…

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Senate bill seeks to prevent release of DMV email addresses

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A Senate bill filed Monday seeks to protect the privacy of Florida motorists by blocking the release of email addresses accumulated by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Filed by the Senate Transportation Committee, SPB 7040 would create public-record law exemptions for email addresses received by the department while collecting vehicle records and driver license data. The bill is in response to the sharp rise in the number of email addresses collected since 1994, which has raised concerns…

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