Beware Of Idalia’s Toxic Stew

As the cleanup continues in the path of Hurricane Idalia which made landfall on Florida’s Gulf coast Wednesday as a Category 3 storm, officials are warning about the lingering risks, like the toxic stew.  Sure, the Big Bend area took the brunt of the damage, but two days after making landfall well to our north, residents of Tampa Bay are still grappling with flooded yards and, unfortunately, homes.

Some of the effects of the storm have nothing to do with sustained winds or prolonged storm surge.  Instead, its now about the disgusting risks that those forces brought to our doorsteps…risks like flesh-eating bacteria, mosquitos and mold.

At a news conference Thursday, Florida’s Surgeon General, Joseph Ladapo urged Floridians to take precautions after Idalia to ensure their own health as well as the health of those around them.  Here’s some of the dangers that were highlighted at the briefing:

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Sick of picking up your phone only to discover it's another scam call? Then blocking these 9 scam numbers can help immediately and bring you a sense of relief. A company called BeenVerified has report that over 150,000 suspicious phone numbers in the past two years and they've narrowed it down to these nine spam and scam numbers. These numbers also lead to hundreds of complaints or more. Most of the scam numbers also fire off scam text messages to trick unsuspecting victims into clicking links.

Another scam that’s going around right now is having a police officer offer call you claiming you missed federal jury duty. Good thing about this scam is you can easily Google the number to check your juror duty status. Make sure you ask several questions if someone is calling you saying this information. They might come off as knowledgeable, but you can trip them up if you know what you’re talking about.

Scams in Tampa, come in various forms and target many different individuals. It is important for you to be aware and protect yourself from thieves and finances. There’s been multiple scams reported in Florida recently including email scams, phone, home improvement, fake charity and even rental scams. The home improvement scams will be someone offering services to fix your roof, driveway, or landscaping at incredibly low prices. Usually, they want payment first and then either perform subpar work or completely disappear.

Make sure you protect yourself by being cautious. Don’t be so quick to share personal information, and always research before handing over your information. Make sure it’s a legit business and charity using reputable platforms for financial transactions. Additionally, if there is any suspicious activities, call your local law enforcement to notify them of new scams in Tampa.

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This is the top scam that's an automated text message warning victims that their Wells Fargo bank account had been temporarily locked. The scammers want you to call their fake number to give up their personal account information.

This is very similar to the previous one where they will spam out a text message: '[Bank name]: ACCNT #5674 temporarily ON HOLD! Your security is our priority. Call now: (858) 605-9622 (Do Not Disregard!)' They're trying to scare you in order to see get personal information.

Look out for this text message 'ATT Free Msg: Congrats to 2 lucky users! Today's winners of our raffle are: Tim N***** and you, (Name)!' These give false promises that you'll get lottery cash and prizes.

These scammers claim to be from Publisher's Clearing House. They claim that an unpaid bill may result in freezing of their assets.

This scam will make you feel like something had genuinely gone wrong with a real shipment. They will you for the last two digits of your SSN for verification. Just get off the phone because it's a scam.

This one is betting on that fact that you have a debit card. They'll say everything is frozen and need your information to correct it.

These complaints were filed from March 2023 in a scary voice message from the Scream movies from an unknown number. In the message it begins, 'Is this [user's name]? Oh good! It's funny how you can see someone's true character when they are alone. Or at least when they think they're alone. I have one question for you, [user's name]. Guess where I'm hiding?'

These scams are using weight-loss products for a delivery scam. Again, these scams are looking for and need your information.

This phone messages will allegedly be from a 'Kelsey Adams' about a deadline for student-loan forgiveness. They need you to act or your deadline will be missed.