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IDENTITY THEFT
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) recognizes that identity theft is a growing concern among Florida's citizens. Identity theft is the criminal use of an individual's personal identification information. Identity thieves steal information such as your name, social security number, driver's license information, or bank and credit card accounts and use the information to establish credit, make purchases, apply for loans or even seek employment.
The statistics are staggering. According to the Federal Trade Commission, Florida was ranked sixth in the nation for identity theft in 2002, with over 10,000 reported victims. Victims of identity theft can come from any lifestyle regardless of race, gender, age or socioeconomic status.
On October 15, 2003, Florida Attorney General Crist and FDLE
launched a new website designed to serve as the State of Florida's official portal for identity theft information. This website is designed to be a centralized "one-stop" resource center for victims of identity theft in Florida. Individuals in other states who had their personal information fraudulently used in the state of Florida will also find this resource useful.
The site contains a specially designed "Identity Theft Victim Kit" to assist Floridians in navigating through the process of rebuilding their good names.
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Victims of identity theft should review
Florida's Identity Theft Victim Kit, an all-in-one resource that provides victims with specific instructions for filing a police report and beginning to clear their names.
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Attorney General Charlie Crist has established a toll-free hotline for Floridians who are the victims of fraud.
Citizens can dial 1-866-9-NO-SCAM, (1-866-966-7226) and be connected to advocates who are trained to help victims of any type of fraud get the assistance they need.
Trained personnel staff the telephone hotline and collect information from citizens, not only on fraud such as identify theft, but also reports of suspected Medicaid fraud.
A fraud investigator or consumer advocate will then contact the caller and assist them with proper steps to be taken to resolve their problem.
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