Florida attorney general offers 9 tips to guard against fraud

ORLANDO, Fla. — It’s International Fraud Awareness Week, and Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody is issuing a consumer alert with tips for Floridians to guard against fraud.

“Fraudsters work day and night to trick consumers into parting with their hard-earned money,” Moody said in a statement. “That is why it is so important to stay ahead of the latest trends and take steps to avoid falling prey to their schemes.”

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Moody issued the following tips to help Floridians avoid fraud:

• Check bank and credit card account statements regularly to ensure there are no fraudulent charges or withdrawals;

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• Use credit cards for transactions, if possible. While charges on both debit and credit cards can be disputed if the card number is stolen, with debit charges, those funds have already been accessed;

• Review credit reports at least once a year. Consumers can access a free credit report annually from the three major credit reporting agencies. To receive a free credit report, go to AnnualCreditReport.com;

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• Do not provide financial or personal information, such as passwords and Social Security numbers, in response to a solicitation;

• Use strong passwords that incorporate a mixture of capitalized and lowercase letters, numbers and special characters. Do not use the same password across multiple applications or websites;

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• Consider enabling multi-factor authentication on all accounts that offer it;

• Refrain from opening emails or attachments from unfamiliar senders; and

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• Be wary of clicking on links in an email, even if it is from a familiar bank or business entity. Call the institution to determine whether the email is legitimate.

• Additionally, Attorney General Moody created two consumer-related programs designed to warn Floridians about common and emerging scam: the Consumer Alert program and the Scams at a Glance program.

Beware the ‘Secret Sister’ social media scam (NCD)

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