Oil spill fears? Beware of fraud
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – May 5, 2010 – Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum issued a consumer advisory regarding the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

As with any natural disaster, scam artists see an opportunity to make money off other people's losses. However, fraud is illegal, and McCollum asked anyone seeing fraud to report it to Florida's fraud hotline at: (866) 966-7226.

According to McCollum, it's too early to know the extent of the problem since oil continues to escape into the Gulf of Mexico and attempts to stem the flow have been unsuccessful. As a result, Floridians should not waive any rights or sign any settlement documents from companies or corporations until they know the full extent of their loss, which could be significantly higher than the money offered initially.

Additionally, in what could be one of the most significant environmental clean-ups in Florida's history, Attorney General McCollum clarified that Florida statutes provide no cap on recoveries related to natural resources. During the past weekend, Attorney General McCollum met with the Attorneys General of Alabama, Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi to discuss a number of legal options to ensure costs and damages to Gulf coast states, businesses and residents are recouped.

Consumers can find more information on the Attorney General's website at http://www.myfloridalegal.com. Additional information on the State Emergency Response Team's efforts can be found at http://www.floridadisaster.org.

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