eNews :: 12.13 sent: 11/24/2010 4:40:14 PM  
An electronic publication to keep you informed, presented by the
Florida Surplus Lines Service Office
FSLSO Will Be Closed in Observance of Thanksgiving

In observance of the Thanksgiving holiday, FSLSO will be closed November 25 and 26; the office will reopen on Monday, November 29. The FSLSO staff wishes all of its customers a safe and happy Thanksgiving.


News from the DFS Pulse: Beware Fraudulent Calls Claiming to Be Department

The Florida Department of Financial Services (DFS) is advising all licensees to be cautious if you receive a phone call from any unknown person claiming to be a DFS employee if you do not have any pending issues to warrant the call.

Agents and adjusters in other states have reported receiving calls from fraudsters claiming to be their home state's regulator alerting them to a pending administrative action and requesting personal information as well as credit card information. While DFS has no report of this fraudulent activity claiming to be the Department's staff, licensees should be aware as to not become a victim. At no time would a Department employee request your credit card information via telephone.

If anything legitimately occurs that would affect your application or license, you would be contacted by e-mail or regular mail correspondence directly from the Department. If you receive such a call, do not provide any credit card information to the caller and please e-mail the details of the call to DFS directly at askDFS@MyFloridaCFO.com.

This information was provided by "The Pulse," an online newsletter published for insurance agents, adjusters, agencies and other licensees of the Florida Department of Financial Services, Division of Agent and Agency Services. For more information regarding "The Pulse" including archived issues, please visit:
http://www.myfloridacfo.com/Agents/Industry/ThePulse/Archive/2010/August/index.htm


Department of Financial Services to No Longer Accept Visa-Brand Cards

Effective December 15, 2010, the Florida Department of Financial Services, Division of Agent and Agency Services, will no longer accept VISA-branded credit or debit cards.

VISA's regulations prevent a pass through of their processing fees to a government entity's customers, and DFS budget limitations prevent its absorption of those costs. As a result, DFS will no longer accept VISA-branded cards.

DFS will continue to accept MasterCard, Discover Card, American Express, and eCheck.