TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Standing with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Florida Department of Transportation at a toll plaza in Orlando today, Attorney General Ashley Moody issued a Consumer Alert warning Floridians about a concerning new smishing scam targeting drivers. The Federal Bureau of Investigation reports that scammers are sending fraudulent text messages to individuals claiming unpaid toll fees and providing links to settle the alleged debts. However, these links are malicious and designed to steal victims’ money. These scams are also being seen targeting E-ZPass users. Attorney General Moody’s Cyber Fraud Enforcement Unit, working with FDLE, recently shut down 10 imposter websites.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “Cybercriminals are sending text messages to thousands of unsuspecting drivers in the hopes that some of them will be tricked into paying a toll fee for a violation that never occurred. While this smishing scam is happening across the nation, our Cyber Fraud Enforcement Unit worked closely with FDLE to shut down 10 fraudulent sites designed to mimic the official SunPass website and steal payments from drivers who received their fake text messages.” Continue reading →

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody is activating Florida’s Price Gouging Hotline following a state of emergency declaration for the North Florida tornadoes. The order follows Governor Ron DeSantis’s state of emergency declaration covering Baker, Columbia, Gadsden, Hamilton, Jefferson, Lafayette, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Suwannee, Taylor and Wakulla counties.

The Price Gouging Hotline is now available to receive reports of extreme price increases on essential commodities. Florida’s price gouging law only applies to items and services essential to getting ready for, or recovering from, a storm within the areas of a declared state of emergency.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “Early morning tornadoes and severe weather ripped through North Florida—causing major damage and widespread power outages. As emergency crews remove road debris and rush to restore power, it is vital that Floridians in hard hit areas heed the advice of local officials. Those consumers who are purchasing emergency supplies should report any incidences of suspected price gouging by calling 1(866) 9NO-SCAM or visiting MyFloridaLegal.com to file a complaint.” Continue reading →

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit announced the arrest of the owner of a home health services agency and a parent of a disabled child for Medicaid provider fraud. Latrena Marie Thomas is the owner of A River’s Journey, a home health care agency with residential home care facilities located in Yulee and Jacksonville. Thomas is accused of hiring non-licensed individuals to provide hands-on personal care services to Medicaid recipients. In addition, Thomas paid Donald Ray Adams II, a parent of a disabled Medicaid recipient, to provide medically licensed care for his own child. In total, Thomas fraudulently billed Medicaid claims for 30 distinct medically needy Medicaid recipients, which caused a total loss of more than $1.6 million.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “This fraudulent billing scheme not only defrauded the Florida Medicaid program out of more than $1.6 million but did so at the expense of Medicaid-dependent recipients, one being a disabled child. In addition to manipulating the system for extra money, the hiring of unqualified and unlicensed medical staff resulted in poor treatment and medical emergencies for Medicaid patients. I’m grateful for our Medicaid Fraud Control Unit for putting a stop to this scheme.” Continue reading →