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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed SB 556 into law to protect seniors and vulnerable adults from scams, which allows banks to delay money transfers if employees suspect fraud is occurring. The legislation addresses a rising problem in senior communities, including romance scams, tech support scams, and sweepstakes fraud that have financially drained many elderly residents. The law empowers financial institutions to intervene and potentially prevent losses before money leaves accounts.

Malvertising scams are rising in Florida, where cybercriminals purchase fake advertisements on search engines to trick users into clicking malicious links that redirect to fraudulent websites designed to install malware on devices. Florida's Attorney General warns that these deceptive ads mimic legitimate websites and are difficult to distinguish, with malware incidents peaking in February and March and showing a nearly 300% increase over the last three quarters. Protection measures include pausing before clicking suspicious ads, installing ad blockers, updating browsers, reviewing computer plugins, and using antivirus software.

According to an FBI report, Florida seniors over age 60 lost more than $290 million to fraud in 2023, ranking the state second worst in the nation, with scams targeting this age group increasing 11% from 2022 and averaging nearly $34,000 per victim. The most common fraud schemes include investment scams, fake tech support, online romance scams, and law enforcement impersonation schemes, with many cases going unreported due to victim shame.

Florida ranks second-highest in the nation for elderly fraud, with adults over 60 reporting nearly $3.5 billion in losses nationally and approximately $300 million in Florida losses, according to FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center data. Tech support scams led fraud cases in 2023, with scammers increasingly using artificial intelligence to disguise their identities. Law enforcement advises seniors not to answer calls from unknown numbers and to be aware that legitimate authorities will not call ahead to warn of warrants or missed jury duty.

A man named Harsh Kir Patel (also known as "Dirty Harry") was arrested and charged in U.S. federal court with transporting illegal aliens and conspiracy in connection with the deaths of the Patel family—a couple and their two children (ages 11 and 3) who froze to death while attempting to illegally cross from Manitoba into Minnesota in 2022. According to court documents, Patel allegedly managed a gambling business in Florida and recruited another smuggler, Steve Shand, to facilitate the illegal border crossing that resulted in the family's deaths.