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CFO To Crack Down On Cell Phone Spoofing

Jimmy Patronis
Florida CFO Archives

Florida’s Chief Financial Officer is cracking down on cell phone spoofing. Scams continue despite new laws aiming to stop them.

Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis is directing his office, which investigates fraud and financial crimes, to launch investigations into cell phone spoofers. Spoofing uses a fake phone number to trick people into answering the phone.

Patronis says he’s also working to get stiffer penalties for the scofflaws.

The Florida Legislature passed a bill last session banning cell phone spoofing, but Patronis says the state can do more to protect Floridians’ personal information.

In a statement, Patronis said “it’s time we end spoofing in this state by hitting these scam artists where it hurts the most: their pockets.”

Shawn Mulcahy is a reporter and All Things Considered host for WFSU. He graduated from Florida State University in 2019 with majors in public relations and political science. He was previously an intern at WFSU, and worked as an Account Coordinator at RB Oppenheim Associates.