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Beware of crypto ATM scams, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, AARP Florida warn

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Thinking of getting into the increasingly popular cryptocurrency craze? Be especially careful when using crypto ATMs, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) and AARP Florida warn.

Crypto ATMs, known commonly as bitcoin ATMs, or BTMs, are becoming more common across the country and in Florida. They enable users to buy and sell cryptocurrencies like bitcoin using cash or debit cards.

But there’s been a rise in fraud cases involving the machines, particularly against seniors, prompting federal and state lawmakers to file legislation to better regulate them. The Federal Trade Commission reported more than $65 million in fraud losses at BTMs in the first half of 2024, 540% more than in all of 2020.

Until more stringent regulations are passed in the Sunshine State, residents need to be aware of the dangers of using BTMs, said Mike Duffey, FDLE Cyber and Technology Bureau Special Agent in Charge.

“Crypto ATMs are often used in online crypto scams, and victims can lose thousands of dollars thinking their deposits are safe,” Duffey said in a statement.

“Usually located inside convenience stores, these ATMs take cash deposits which are converted into cryptocurrency. Criminals can exploit these crypto ATMs and redirect a citizen’s deposits to the criminal’s own account, where the digital currency is often unrecoverable.”

Duffey cautioned Floridians to be especially cautious when dealing with people they just met online.

“(Ask) yourself this question: Why do the monies have to be sent in the form of cryptocurrency?” he said. “(Take) the time to validate information on the individual you’re talking with, and, before you deposit any monies into a crypto ATM, please discuss the situation with your family and friends or reach out to your local law enforcement for advice.”

In a joint news release with FLDE, AARP Florida offered three safety tips:

— Government agencies, like law enforcement, will never ask for payments in crypto.

— Avoid using QR codes shared via text or email while using BTMs.

— BTMs are not a safe way to “protect” money from being stolen or seized.

Concern about BTM scams have mounted in recent years.

On Tuesday, Democratic U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois announced he was filing the Crypto ATM Fraud Prevention Act. The measure would prevent new users from spending more than $2,000 in a day or $10,000 in a two-week period at the kiosks. It would also compel companies to speak directly with new customers who want to make transactions over $500 and require them to provide full refunds to users who file police reports and inform the companies of suspected fraud within 30 days of a transaction.

State lawmakers have filed legislation to address the issue too. One such bill in Arizona, sponsored by Republican state Reps. David Marshall and Michael Way, would limit how much money users can put into BTMs and require operators to be more transparent about the fees they charge.

Attorneys General have also sounded the alarm. An investigation that Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird’s Office commenced in late 2023 found that more than 96% of the money Iowans reportedly sent through two BTM operators, Bitcoin Depot and CoinFlip — the latter of which holds a large share of the BTM market in Florida — were scam transactions.

An overwhelming share of the scams targeted people 60 and older, Bird’s Office said.

On Wednesday, Bird announced lawsuits against both BTM companies, which she accused of fleecing Iowans for millions of dollars.

“Con artists are evil and will stop at nothing to steal everything you have,” Bird said in a statement. “We already know that they target older Iowans, but now it seems that they even hunt through obituaries to target widows. They convince these older women that they need help, and then send their victims to crypto ATMs. And the crypto ATM companies take a cut of the profits. It’s not just wrong, it’s illegal.”


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Baby Boomers favor Florida for relocation over all other states

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Florida is not losing any popularity among retirees. In fact, it’s tops in the U.S. for annual migration among the Baby Boomer generation and near the top for several other generations.

A new study using 2023 data by StorageCafe, a self-storage company, shows the Sunshine State’s “silver tsunami” net migration among Baby Boomers amounted to 50,615.

The StorageCafe analysis looked at the number of people moving to different states, ranking states based on net migration, both overall and relative to each state’s population. The study also factored in the reasons people are moving, as well as age, income, education level, employment status and home prices, among other factors.

Florida was not only first among migration for Baby Boomers, it had more than double the amount of relocations over North Carolina, which came in second. North Carolina’s net migration among Baby Boomers sat at 20,349 in 2023. That was followed by South Carolina in third, Arizona in fourth and Georgia in fifth.

Florida was plus-136,700 in net migration in 2023. That’s the 10th straight year Florida has seen a net of at least 100,000, amounting to a net gain of 1.5 million people in that time.

While Baby Boomers account for the largest portion of retirees moving to Florida, the next generation in line for retirement, Generation X, appears warm to Florida as well. But the Sunshine state is not at the top of the list for Gen Xers, though it’s close. Florida finished second, only behind Texas. Florida saw a net migration of 23,261 Gen Xers two years ago.

Millennials nearly matched that number, with a net migration of 25,189. That put Florida third behind Texas at No. 1 and North Carolina at No. 2.

But even for a generation that isn’t considering retirement yet, Florida did well. Among Generation Z, Florida saw a net migration of 14,098 in 2023. That was fifth in the nation behind South Carolina, Arizona, North Carolina and the District of Columbia.


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Pam Bondi presses Kash Patel on disclosing Jeffrey Epstein docs

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Less than 24 hours after Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the imminent release of documents related to the late Jeffrey Epstein, she says there is more information that her Office hasn’t seen.

And she wants it by Friday morning with no exceptions or omissions.

“I repeatedly questioned whether this was the full set of documents responsive to my request and was repeatedly assured by the FBI that we had received the full set of documents,” Bondi wrote FBI head Kash Patel, as reported by Fox News. “Late yesterday, I learned from a source that the FBI Field Office in New York was in possession of thousands of pages of documents related to the investigation and indictment of Epstein.”

On Wednesday, Bondi promised Jesse Watters “a lot of flight logs, a lot of names, a lot of information” about the activities that expect to ensnare and implicate some of the most powerful and prominent people in the U.S.

She attributed delays to the need to redact identifying information about more than 250 victims during that prime-time interview.

Now she’s giving Patel a short window to release all relevant materials about the dead sex trafficker.

“By 8:00 a.m. tomorrow, February 28, the FBI will deliver the full and complete Epstein files to my office, including all records, documents, audio and video recordings, and materials related to Jeffrey Epstein and his clients, regardless of how such information was obtained,” Bondi wrote. “There will be no withholdings or limitations to my or your access.”

The report surfaced after U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna blasted the incomplete release based on a story by New York Post reporter Steven Nelson that said Epstein’s personal address book, a 100-page document, would be published without context.

“I nor the task force were given or reviewed the Epstein documents being released today,” Luna posted on X. “A NY Post story just revealed that the documents will simply be Epstein’s phonebook. THIS IS NOT WHAT WE OR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ASKED FOR. GET US THE INFORMATION WE ASKED FOR instead of leaking old info to press.”

Epstein ultimately pleaded guilty in 2008 to charges of soliciting and trafficking underage girls, serving just 13 months on work release in a private wing of a Palm Beach jail.

New reporting on Epstein’s case in 2018 helped authorities reopen it.

Epstein died of an apparent suicide in his jail cell while awaiting trial in 2019. His accomplice and sometimes girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, a British socialite, was later charged and convicted of sex trafficking in 2020.

The state of Florida unsealed records from his 2008 state investigation and case against Epstein.

The transcripts have long been shielded from public perusal due to state limitations on exposing grand jury evidence. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation in February that created a narrow exemption to those limits to unseal Epstein’s records on July 1.

The transcripts can be viewed here.

___

A.G. Gancarski, Jacob Ogles and Jesse Scheckner of Florida Politics contributed to this report.


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Taylor Yarkosky files bill to compensate child who overdosed

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Clermont Republican Rep. Taylor Yarkosky has filed a claims bill (HB 6541) that would compensate a child for permanent injuries he sustained due to what his attorney says was a result of negligence by the Department of Children and Families (DCF).

Yarkosky’s bill follows efforts by Doral Republican Sen. Ana Maria Rodriguez last year (SB 2) and in 2023 seeking $20 million for the child, known as “C.C.” Yarkosky’s measure also adopts that $20 million figure.

The now-10-year-old C.C. was left permanently injured, suffering an anoxic brain injury, seizures, strokes and other neurological impairments.

C.C.’s lawyer Stacie Schmerling told Florida Politics at the time SB 2 was filed that DCF had done nothing about the multiple abuse reports they had received, despite knowing that his mother — Fort Myers resident Anna Highland — was addicted to opioids and had been taking methadone while pregnant.

“DCF’s responsibility is to take action to protect the child, to make sure the child does not suffer any further harm at the hands of a drug addict parent, whether it’s abuse or neglect, and certainly there were multiple opportunities for intervention. DCF got a report to protect this child the day he was born, and their obligation was to that. And they didn’t,” Schmerling said.

At the time C.C.’s birth, Highland was licensed as a foster parent by DCF and had a significant amount of involvement with the Department going back to 2012. Highland’s drug abuse during pregnancy caused C.C. to experience severe withdrawal symptoms, necessitating almost a month of hospitalization and morphine treatment.

Despite receiving six separate child abuse allegations related to Highland’s drug use within a seven-month period, DCF allowed C.C. to be released back into Highland’s care and eventually closed the investigation, deeming the substance abuse claims unsubstantiated and her methadone use non-threatening to child safety.

In 2015, DCF received two child abuse reports alleging that Highland was abusing a foster child, but both were closed without investigation. On Sept. 12, 2015, 13-month-old C.C. overdosed on Highland’s methadone, leading to a coma and a one-month hospitalization.

DCF’s investigation revealed that Highland and her mother delayed seeking medical help for approximately five hours. Consequently, C.C. was removed from Highland’s care and placed with his father.

The bill claims DCF failed in its duty to protect C.C. by allowing him to remain in his mother’s care without proper safety measures and seeks a $20 million settlement to be paid into a trust for C.C.’s exclusive use. Attorneys fees and costs, as well as lobbying fees and similar expenses, would be restricted to 25% of the amount awarded.

If passed, the bill would take effect upon becoming law.


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