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Staff ReportsDecember 14, 2016

State Sen. Jeff Brandes wants to sound the death knell for Florida’s no-fault auto insurance system. The St. Petersburg Republican on Tuesday filed a repeal (SB 156) of the personal injury protection, or PIP, requirements under Florida law for motor vehicle insurance. “PIP is a broken insurance system, and it does not reflect the reality […]

A.G. GancarskiJuly 27, 2016

Rep. Corrine Brown, facing a federal trial on 23 counts related to fraud and tax evasion, seeks to have her trial pushed back to October. The filing in federal court Wednesday from attorney Bill Sheppard cites “77,000 pages of discovery that undersigned counsel is doing his best to review and digest.” Prosecution does not oppose the motion, […]

Associated PressMarch 5, 2016

The head of a purported charity with close ties to Florida U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown pleaded guilty Friday in a federal fraud investigation. One Door for Education Foundation Inc. President Carla Wiley pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and agreed to testify in the larger ongoing case, according to a […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterJanuary 14, 2016

Consumer advocates are calling on state lawmakers to tweak proposed legislation that removes the state’s pre-insurance inspection requirement. The provision is in two bills (SB 1036/HB 659) relating to automobile insurance. Among other things, the measure allows an insurer to opt out of the pre-insurance inspection program and create its own pre-insurance program if it […]

Guest AuthorJanuary 8, 2016

The New Year brings with it opportunity to reflect on 2015 and use it as a foundation to set a strong course for the year ahead. The Office of Financial Regulation (OFR) is the primary regulator of Florida’s financial services industry, covering securities and consumer finance as well as state-chartered banks and credit unions. As […]

Phil AmmannJanuary 7, 2016

The New Year brings with it opportunity to reflect on 2015 and use it as a foundation to set a strong course for the year ahead. The Office of Financial Regulation (OFR) is the primary regulator of Florida’s financial services industry, covering securities and consumer finance as well as state-chartered banks and credit unions. As […]

Jim RosicaDecember 29, 2015

As if we didn’t have enough grifts to be on guard for, now the scammers are using phony “tech support” calls, according to a Tuesday consumer alert from the Florida Office of Financial Regulation. The con goes like this, according to OFR spokeswoman Jamie Mongiovi: The mark gets a call from someone “posing as technical support staff […]

Melissa RossDecember 24, 2015

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Amidst all the shopping, wrapping, and returns, the Florida Retail Federation says this holiday season is also expected to feature a spike in fraud. The FRF says retailers expect fraud to reach more than $2.2 billion nationally, an increase in fraudulent activity of 3.5 percent over 2014. The biggest offense: criminals who try to return […]

Associated PressJuly 29, 2015

Psssst … Need a phony ID? A fraudulent tax refund? Insurance money from a sham car crash? Florida may have just what you’re looking for. Since the first settlers hacked their way into the mangrove tangles and drained much of the swampland, sunny South Florida has been virtually synonymous with shady deals and scams. Over […]

Martin DyckmanDecember 27, 2014

In the news: Strippers listed as “admissions representatives” were hired to recruit students for a dodgy for-profit Florida trade college that FBI raids eventually put out of business. That’s the shocker in a federal lawsuit the Miami Herald reported recently. According to the suit, the school “purposely hired attractive women and sometimes exotic dancers and […]

Tag: fraud

Jeff Brandes files PIP repeal for 2017

Corrine Brown wants trial pushed back to October

Charity with ties to congresswoman target of fraud case

Consumer advocates urge lawmakers to keep pre-insurance inspection requirement

Drew Breakspear: Fighting fraud and serving Floridians in 2015

Drew Breakspear: Fighting fraud and serving Floridians in 2015

State regulators warn of phony phone calls from “tech support”

Florida Retail Federation expects spike in holiday fraud

By nearly any measure, sunny South Florida is tops in fraud

Martin Dyckman: Innocent students exploited by some for-profit schools