The holiday shopping season is in full swing and this week we issued several alerts to help Floridians avoid scams as they buy gifts and give to charity in celebration of the season.

It’s important to give and to experience the joy and kindness that accompanies these holidays, but we want to make sure the good-hearted nature of Floridians is not exploited by scammers who use the season to steal identities or hack credit card accounts.

To help guide shoppers, we issued our 2019 Holiday Shopping Guide. The guide is full of secure online shopping tips, wise-giving guidelines, information on toy recalls and much more to make your holiday shopping experience more joyful. The full guide can be downloaded for free here.

For the first time ever, the guide is also available in Spanish by clicking here.

With one less week between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, many Floridians will be tackling their holiday shopping lists sooner. The fast pace of the shopping season creates more opportunity for scammers. Take steps now to safeguard your personal information and finances to avoid falling prey to common holiday scams and identity theft.

Any consumer who has questions about making secure holiday shopping purchases or encounters a scam can call my office at 1(866) 9NO-SCAM or visit MyFloridaLegal.com.

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Tragedy struck early Friday morning in Escambia County when a gunman opened fire at Naval Air Service Pensacola. Law enforcement took quick action to neutralize the shooter. Their bravery and fast response saved lives. Sadly, two Escambia County Sheriff’s deputies were injured in the shootout. Three individuals were killed and several others wounded.

Please keep the first responders, our service members, the victims and their families in your prayers.