Internet Fraud

Florida consumers, as well as across the country, have been the victims of fraud through bogus emails. Consumers should be on the alert for emails that seek personal information such as social security numbers or financial information.

This practice is known as "phishing." A common scam "alerts" the consumer that their credit card has been charged for access to a pornographic web site. When consumers respond to the email, attempts are made to obtain their personal information in order to "clear up the matter."

Please see our section on "Protecting Yourself from Consumer Fraud" for more detailed information. For those who have been victims of such a scam, they may contact the Attorney General’s Office of Citizen Services either by calling the Attorney General's Fraud Hotline at 1-866-966-7226 or by filling out an online complaint form at http://myfloridalegal.com/contact.

The Internet Crime Complaint Center, a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the National White Collar Crime Center, can be reached at http://www.ic3.gov.