Hello Everyone,
Evelyn here,
Below is Attorney General Bill McCollum’s latest newsletter detailing a new crime prevention programs entitled, "Senior Sleuths" which is ran purely on volunteer efforts. Like this blog, the purpose of “Senior Sleuths" is to bring awareness to its community of the available resources it can use to report and the help put an end to crime. Moreover, the main goal of Senior Sleuths" is consumer protection and protecting the elderly from identity thefts.
Since I was the target for such a crime by unknown persons as recent a week ago, I am glad that such programs like “Senior Sleuths" exist. I am grateful the state that the attempt to get my banking information was unsuccessful and incident reported.
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June 29, 2007
A Message from Attorney General Bill McCollum
Often, I encounter people who are uncertain about what the Attorney
General’s Office does and how it works on behalf of the people of
Florida. While this office has a wide range of responsibilities within
our state, the underlying principle is very simple - the Attorney
General’s Office was created to protect the citizens of our state.
Consumer protection is the very basis of what this agency does every day.
This week, the Attorney General’s Office sponsored two very unique
programs which I am proud to say were innovative and proactive
approaches to addressing very serious crimes that victimize Floridians
on a regular basis - identity theft and crimes against the elderly.
Identity theft is a pervasive and devastating crime. It tears apart
its victims’ lives, stealing not only their financial resources, but also
their good names and reputations. Prevention is essential to protecting
yourself from this crime. On Tuesday, the citizens of Sarasota joined
me at a shred-a-thon as we put into practice the maxim that an ounce of
prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Together with a local bank and a shredding company, we shredded more
than a ton of consumers’ old bills, credit card receipts and other
personal documents, destroying the information that identity thieves
often use to target their next victims. Local law enforcement was also
on site to provide information about filing reports of identity theft
and what to do if you are a victim. Our proactive approach to protecting
personal information was an effective step to prevent future incidents
of identity theft.
After leaving the shred-a-thon, I traveled to Manatee County where I
had the privilege of opening Florida’s 29th Seniors vs. Crime facility.
As your Attorney General, I am committed to protecting Florida’s senior
citizens from individuals who attempt to defraud and exploit them. The
Seniors vs. Crime program helps us achieve this goal with a creative
peer-to-peer approach. Volunteers called "Senior Sleuths" staff the
facilities, taking complaints from fellow senior citizens, reporting
new scams or unethical sales tactics to local law enforcement, and
participating in undercover investigations of unfair or illegal business
practices.
In six years of operation, Senior Sleuths have recovered
more than $5.3 million for seniors and have been directly responsible
for well over 100 criminal charges being brought against companies and
individuals. I was joined at the Manatee County opening by several Senior
Sleuths, all ready to begin fighting crime on behalf of their friends
and neighbors within their community.
Nothing is more important to me and this agency than protecting the
residents and guests of our state. We can take better care of ourselves
and those around us by encouraging our communities to become more
involved in consumer protection efforts.
Thank you.
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Evelyn out.
