The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services recovered $187,000 for Floridians during the month of January.
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services recovered $187,000 for Floridians during the month of January.
As the state’s clearinghouse for consumer complaints, the department works diligently to educate the public, investigate complaints and provide mediation on behalf of consumers.
The department recovered nearly $3 million for Florida consumers last year from moving companies, vehicle repair shops, pawn shops, heath studios, telemarketers, sellers of travel and more.
Adam Putnam
“We are dedicated to protecting Floridians and visitors from scams. With tax season upon us and IRS and tax-related scams on the rise, I encourage consumers to visit FreshFromFlorida.com today for more information on how they can help protect themselves from these scams,” said Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam.
During the month of January, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services:
• Recovered $187,000 on behalf of Florida consumers;
• Received 3,110 complaints;
• Initiated 189 investigations;
• Arrested 19 individuals;
• Provided assistance to 24,389 consumers through the 1-800-HELP-FLA hotline, online chats and emails; and
• Added 15,298 telephone numbers to Florida’s Do Not Call List. Currently, there are more than 906,247 numbers on the list.
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is the state’s clearinghouse for consumer complaints, protection and information.
The call center is staffed with trained analysts who can respond to questions about programs and regulations under the department’s purview, provide information on a wide variety of topics or direct callers to the appropriate government agency.
Consumers who believe fraud has taken place can contact the department’s consumer protection and information hotline at 1-800-HELP-FLA (435-7352) or, for Spanish speakers, 1-800-FL-AYUDA (352-9832).
For more information about the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, visit FreshFromFlorida.com.
