TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis is warning Floridians of a massive Capital One data breach impacting approximately 100 million customers and reported as one of the top 10 largest data breaches ever. Capital One stated "the largest category of information" accessed from applicants who applied for credit cards from 2005 to early 2019. This information includes names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, dates of birth and self-reported income. Reports estimate 140,000 Social Security numbers and about 80,000 bank account numbers linked to secured cards were accessed from credit card customers.

CFO Jimmy Patronis said, “Unfortunately, data breaches are a common and frightening reality for consumers today. This is exactly why I will fight to make Florida one of the toughest states for ID theft penalties. Identity theft causes long-term financial ruin, and banks and companies trusted with our data must be held accountable when data breaches happen. Every Floridian should monitor their credit cards and bank statements and report any signs of fraud or identity theft immediately.”

1. Check your credit card activity often. Reviewing your recent account activity is fundamental to credit card safety. Most companies allow you to review transactions online or by phone. If your credit card company offers email or text alerts regarding unusual activity, sign up now.

2. Freeze your credit. If you believe you've been the victim of identity theft, consider placing a free credit freeze on your credit file with each of the three credit reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion) to further prevent unauthorized credit report activity.

3. Monitor credit reports. Constantly check your credit report for any accounts that scam artists may have opened in your name. Credit reports are available free of charge from each of the three national credit reporting agencies every 12 months. Visit www.AnnualCreditReport.com to pull your reports today.

4. Be extra careful about emails and attachments. Avoid clicking on links or downloading attachments from suspicious emails that claim to be updates from any company connected to a data breach.