Florida students go back to school next week and as a mother, I know firsthand that sending your kids back to school is an exciting, yet stressful event. It takes a lot of planning and shopping to make sure your student has the supplies they need to succeed in the classroom.

The good news is the state is holding a Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday that ends on Monday, Aug. 9. The bad news is that scammers may use this opportunity to take advantage of students and parents.

According to a recent news report, fraudulent school supply advertisements are being seen more frequently on social media. The Better Business Bureau is also reporting an increase in scam emails and phone calls offering student loan forgiveness plans.

Amid all the back-to-school excitement, it can be easy to fall victim to these opportunistic schemes. That is why, this week, I issued a Consumer Alert to warn Floridians.

To avoid back-to-school scams, keep these tips in mind:

• Use a credit card when shopping online for additional consumer protection;
• Before providing information online, make sure the website is secure by identifying the padlock symbol by the URL or the “s” at the end of http in the address bar;
• Reach out to a trusted loan servicer to ask about the legitimacy of student loan forgiveness plan offers; and
• Know that legitimate companies will never solicit personal or sensitive information over the phone, by email or by text.

To read the Consumer Alert and learn more about back-to-school schemes, click here.

If you suspect that something is a scam, report it to my office by calling 1(866) 9NO-SCAM or visiting MyFloridaLegal.com.

By staying informed and reporting suspicious activity when you see it, you can help us build a Stronger, Safer Florida. Best of luck to our teachers, students and parents this school year!