Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a new law aimed at fighting back against people using websites to run scams with claims to offer access to the COVID-19 vaccine or personal protective equipment.
Despite financial relief due to the COVID-19 pandemic provided help to Floridians impacted by the economic crisis, it also created an opportunity for scammers.
News 6 legal analyst Steven Kramer said the law is specific in nature.
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“This was a statute a law that was born of necessity because prosecutors and law enforcement were concerned, they didn’t have adequate tools with the existing fraud laws to prosecute these cases effectively,” Attorney Kramer said.
The bill (HB 9) passed the House and Senate unanimously.
“The pandemic made the need for this law apparent, it made it so apparent it was one of the first bills introduced in the legislative session,” Kramer said.
The state of Florida is cracking down to combat fraud which has become a state and national problem.
“There were reports of 19,000 or more websites that popped up offering PPE where there was massive concern about fraud and you had thousands of consumers come forward suing that they were misled or made a payment and never received anything,” Kramer said.
The law would lead to felony charges for people who run the scams.