Staff Reports
Thursday saw CFO Jimmy Patronis and two of Jacksonville’s just re-elected leaders come together for a common cause: fighting fraud.
Patronis was in the city to highlight Jacksonville joining the “Fraud Free Florida” initiative.
“Florida currently ranks first in fraud and fourth in identity theft nationwide. These statistics are alarming and that is why I’m thankful for the support of Sheriff Williams and Mayor Curry to spearhead my Fraud Free Florida initiative here in Jacksonville,” Patronis said.
“This partnership will allow our agencies to better coordinate collective investigative efforts to protect Floridians, especially our seniors, from scam artists who prey on Floridians’ hard-earned money,” Patronis added.
“With public safety as my greatest priority,” Mayor Lenny Curry said, “I enthusiastically embrace initiatives like Fraud Free Florida that protect our citizens from financial abuse. I applaud CFO Patronis and Sheriff Williams for identifying and building partnerships that prevent fraud and support the citizens of Jacksonville.”
“I am proud to join CFO Patronis and Mayor Curry in announcing this great partnership to fight fraud in Jacksonville. Expanding our investigative collaboration with the CFO’s team will allow us to broaden our efforts in battling fraud and protecting consumers from financial scams,” asserted Sheriff Mike Williams.
Earlier in March, Patronis described the effort as “innovative ways to stay two steps ahead of criminals who want to take your identity, steal money from families who need it, and prey on vulnerable Floridians. We see it after every hurricane, millions of dollars are stolen as crooks prey on Florida families in their time of need to make a quick buck.”
Patronis said he “looked forward to working with an all-star team of top law enforcement officials and stakeholders from across our state. I look forward to creating a lasting impact as we go after these criminals and expose scam artists who aim to cheat the system and target hardworking Floridians.”
Fraud Free Florids is a function of the Division of Investigative and Forensic Services. The idea is to spur interagency cooperation on what is a recurrent problem for Floridians.
