FAC Weekly Update 2025-12-01-Stay Informed with FAC December Updates

Weekly update for December 1, 2025. This is recording number 341.

Dear Members and Advocates,

We want to begin this week’s update with an urgent warning about a particularly insidious scam targeting people on the registry. By now you should already be prepared to receive calls from someone pretending to be with law enforcement trying to extort money. But that’s not the scam we’re warning about today. In the latest example, a “company” (it’s not actually a company or a non-profit as they claim to be), is sending post cards to registrants falsely promising help with removal from the registry. They operate as “Offender Reputation and Registry Removal (O-rep)” and with the website https://o-rep.org. You can read more about the scam here.

We have been in touch with the attorneys representing the individuals in the cases they claim to have brought and confirmed that “O-rep” had nothing to do with the cases and that the testimonials are false. We have also reported it to law enforcement, but as of the writing of this weekly update, the website is still up.

At FAC, we do everything in our power to warn our members whenever a new scam is identified — issuing alerts, posting on our website, and spreading the word through our communication channels. The heartbreaking reality, however, is that our membership represents fewer than 5% of the people registered in Florida. There are tens of thousands of others in our state and hundreds of thousands nationwide who never see these warnings and remain easy prey for bad actors lying in wait. If you know someone who may be at risk, please share this warning with them.

Sadly, this is not an isolated incident nor the first time FAC has confronted a scam operator. Remember ClearMyCase? Over the years, scammers have used the public registry as a ready-made mailing list, targeting people who are often scared, isolated, and desperate for any hope of relief. Even sadder, many are also struggling financially and have paid out thousands of dollars for a false hope, only to watch that hope (and their money) evaporate. It is a cruel form of vigilantism and exploitation used to extract money from already vulnerable individuals. Also sad, since law enforcement is not particularly sympathetic to the victims of these scams, little is done to shut them down.

All you can do is warn others to stay vigilant, verify everything, and reach out to FAC if you are unsure about a claim that seems too good to be true.

On to happier things… Our “Municipal Challenge” matching campaign ends at midnight tomorrow (December 2, 2025 – Giving Tuesday). We are excited to announce that since the campaign was announced on November 14^th, we have raised $9,733 from donors (and still have a few more hours to go – you still have time to make a donation)! That means that with the matching donations from our generous contributors, we have an additional $19,466 to fund lawsuits challenging residency restrictions and proximity ordinances. We plan to have one lawsuit filed by the end of this month and another filed shortly thereafter. Thanks to all who are helping to make this possible.

[As a side note… The irony is not lost on us that we are soliciting donations in the same weekly update that we are warning registrants of a scam targeting them. So if anyone ever has concerns about the validity of FAC or would like your contribution to be tax deductible, please contact [email protected] and we will be happy to address any questions you have.]

And finally, we know that the holiday season, especially the period between Thanksgiving and New Years, is particularly sad for many of you who are separated from family, ostracized by your community, prohibited from attending holiday events or even participating in religious services. You are not alone and we want to make sure you know that you have a “family” in FAC that cares about you and is in the same situation as you are. For that reason, every Monday night, beginning tonight, we will have special programming for our FAC “month of cheer”. This will be a virtual event (since we can’t all be together) and accessible via Zoom or by phone. The flyer for this event and other important December Announcements can be found here. Please share it with others who may be struggling during this holiday season or with others who are fortunate enough to be doing alright, but just want to help others who may be struggling.

Sincerely,

The Florida Action Committee