10/26/2026
β¨ Exchange Club of Emerald Coast β Community Safety Spotlight β¨
At our 22 Oct mtg we had the privilege of hosting Ashley Bailey from the Okaloosa County Sheriffβs Office, who delivered an eyeβopening and highly relevant message on online scamming and cyberβtheft.
Ashley walked us through how modernβday thieves have taken ageβold hustling and supercharged it with AI, stolen data, and the exploitation of officialβlooking information. The result is scams that look shockingly real β and can fool even the most techβsavvy among us.
She emphasized several fundamentals that every family should keep frontβofβmind:
- Law enforcement and government agencies will NEVER call or text you out of the blue claiming thereβs a warrant for your arrest.
- If you receive a message from a bank or credit card company, donβt click anything β call them directly using the number you already know.
- Web links and QR codes can be dangerous. Always check for βhttpsβ security and watch for subtle misspellings or altered domain names.
- Urgency is a red flag. Scammers want you panicked so you act fast β donβt give them that advantage.
Ashleyβs message was clear: awareness is protection, and staying alert is one of the strongest tools we have in todayβs dataβrich, AIβaccelerated world.
Weβre grateful for her expertise and her commitment to keeping our community informed and safe.