Sunshine Sentinel

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—July is National Military Consumer Protection Month, and Attorney General Ashley Moody is highlighting resources designed to help protect military members from scams. Florida is home to more than 100,000 service members and more than 1.5 million veterans. To help prevent these military members from falling victim to scams, Attorney General Moody is highlighting the office's Military Consumer Protection Guide and Scams at a Glance: Protect Our Patriots resource.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “In recognition of Military Consumer Protection Month, my office is sharing resources to provide our service members, veterans and their families with the tools needed to spot and avoid scams. This month, check out our Military Consumer Protection Guide and our Scams at a Glance: Protect our Patriots for more information about scams designed to target service members and tips to avoid these schemes." 

The Military Consumer Protection Guide covers topics such as:

• Predatory lending practices and how service members may be able to obtain financial assistance from military-aid societies;
• Identity theft and the laws at both the state and federal level that provide protections to service members, veterans and family members;
• Debt collection and how poor credit and excessive debt can prevent service members from obtaining or retaining security clearances and personal readiness for deployment; and
• Foreclosure protections for mortgages that service members obtained prior to active duty.

Attorney General Moody’s office also provides other resources for military members, including the Scams at a Glance: Protect Our Patriots resource. To access the informational resource, click here. The Florida Attorney General's Office also employs dedicated staff to review complaints filed by military members to better assist them with potential resolution and additional resources.

Last year, through a multistate action, Attorney General Moody secured $34 million in total relief from Harris Jewelry over allegations that the company deployed deceptive business practices that targeted military members and families. Attorney General Moody also obtained $50,000 in funds from the settlement and distributed the funds to the Florida Veterans Foundation to support consumer education. From those funds, the Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs covered the cost of printing and mailing their 2023 Florida Veterans’ Benefits Guide.

Original source can be found here.