Second teen accused in Kayla Rincon-Miller murder case to appear in courtHotter and drier day ahead with isolated storms staying inland
CAPE CORAL Second teen accused in Kayla Rincon-Miller murder case to appear in court A 16-year-old is facing adult charges for his alleged role in the murder of 15-year-old Kayla Rincon-Miller.
the weather authority Hotter and drier day ahead with isolated storms staying inland The Weather Authority is tracking a hot and dry Tuesday morning with inland isolated storms expected in the afternoon.
Cape Canaveral Gov. DeSantis to hold news conference in Cape Canaveral Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to hold a news conference in Cape Canaveral.
WINK News Lee County School Board to hold a transportation workshop With one month left for the academic year, parents’ concerns have turned to frustration as buses struggle to get kids to and from school.
Readying for hurricane season with Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday Hurricane season is rapidly approaching as Floridians prep for potential storms with the upcoming Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday.
NAPLES Increasing amount of homeless seniors in SWFL Saint Matthew House told Wink News that 20% of the people they shelter are over 60 years old.
NAPLES Man suspected of threatening pickelballers with machete A man has been arrested after authorities said he chased a group of pickleball players off a Naples court. “I don’t know. It just seemed like he snapped,” said William Nehrkorn, father of one of the pickleball players. Pelican Marsh maintenance worker, Joseph DeValle, is accused of running toward Nehrkorn’s son and friends, not with […]
NAPLES Turtle Club in Naples reopens Following a 19-month closure because of Hurricane Ian, the Turtle Club has reopened.
FORT MYERS BEACH Hurricane season preparations at Lee County construction sites Many already know the drill when hurricane season is around the corner.
SANIBEL Bones found on Sanibel concern beachgoers A husband and wife found what appeared to be bones. What type and where they came from is being investigated.
FGCU FGCU president reflects on first year with graduating class Alico Arena was packed this weekend as Florida Gulf Coast University graduated 1,900 students in four ceremonies.
Reverse shoulder replacement offers new approach to pain management Shoulder replacement is the third most common replacement in the US, following hip and knee replacement.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Lee County teachers bargain for new raises Kevin Daly is the voice of the Lee County Teachers Union, and he says he knows firsthand the struggle teachers experience across the state.
FORT MYERS New Starbucks off Colonial expected to add to traffic headaches It’s a venti-sized traffic nightmare. That’s how Gina O’Donnell envisions the future of this plaza.
NAPLES Feeding families through Meals of Hope They’re a Naples-based non-profit organization whose mission is to alleviate hunger both locally and throughout the country.
CAPE CORAL Second teen accused in Kayla Rincon-Miller murder case to appear in court A 16-year-old is facing adult charges for his alleged role in the murder of 15-year-old Kayla Rincon-Miller.
the weather authority Hotter and drier day ahead with isolated storms staying inland The Weather Authority is tracking a hot and dry Tuesday morning with inland isolated storms expected in the afternoon.
Cape Canaveral Gov. DeSantis to hold news conference in Cape Canaveral Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to hold a news conference in Cape Canaveral.
WINK News Lee County School Board to hold a transportation workshop With one month left for the academic year, parents’ concerns have turned to frustration as buses struggle to get kids to and from school.
Readying for hurricane season with Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday Hurricane season is rapidly approaching as Floridians prep for potential storms with the upcoming Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday.
NAPLES Increasing amount of homeless seniors in SWFL Saint Matthew House told Wink News that 20% of the people they shelter are over 60 years old.
NAPLES Man suspected of threatening pickelballers with machete A man has been arrested after authorities said he chased a group of pickleball players off a Naples court. “I don’t know. It just seemed like he snapped,” said William Nehrkorn, father of one of the pickleball players. Pelican Marsh maintenance worker, Joseph DeValle, is accused of running toward Nehrkorn’s son and friends, not with […]
NAPLES Turtle Club in Naples reopens Following a 19-month closure because of Hurricane Ian, the Turtle Club has reopened.
FORT MYERS BEACH Hurricane season preparations at Lee County construction sites Many already know the drill when hurricane season is around the corner.
SANIBEL Bones found on Sanibel concern beachgoers A husband and wife found what appeared to be bones. What type and where they came from is being investigated.
FGCU FGCU president reflects on first year with graduating class Alico Arena was packed this weekend as Florida Gulf Coast University graduated 1,900 students in four ceremonies.
Reverse shoulder replacement offers new approach to pain management Shoulder replacement is the third most common replacement in the US, following hip and knee replacement.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Lee County teachers bargain for new raises Kevin Daly is the voice of the Lee County Teachers Union, and he says he knows firsthand the struggle teachers experience across the state.
FORT MYERS New Starbucks off Colonial expected to add to traffic headaches It’s a venti-sized traffic nightmare. That’s how Gina O’Donnell envisions the future of this plaza.
NAPLES Feeding families through Meals of Hope They’re a Naples-based non-profit organization whose mission is to alleviate hunger both locally and throughout the country.
MGN Online FORT MYERS, Fla. – Close to 52,000 children fall victim to identity theft each year according to the Florida Department of Agriculture, and law enforcement officials say it continues to grow. WINK News contacted the Charlotte, Collier and Lee County Sheriff’s Offices and requested the number of child identity theft cases reported in the last five years. Both Charlotte and Lee counties do not keep track of identity theft cases in minors; however, Collier County does. In 2014, the Collier County Sheriff’s Office received 11 reports of child identity theft compared to one case reported 1o years prior. However, officials said those numbers should be much higher. “It is a huge problem. Not a lot of people are tracking it, they just kind of lump it in with general identity theft but criminals love children because they can have almost a full 18 years before it ever is detected,” said identity theft expert Carrie Kerskie. “Parents don’t know to report it. The last time I looked at a statistic something like 60 percent of identity theft cases never get reported to law enforcement.” The other issue Kerskie said is parents do not know their children are victims because no one is checking. But, there are ways to protect your child. “I would highly recommend and encourage parents to put a security freeze on their child’s credit. It’s fairly simple to do, and I think that’s really the only secure way to keep someone from going in and using that credit,” said fraud specialist with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Beth Schell. “It’s just a matter and responsibility for us to protect our children when they can’t themselves.” In order to put a security freeze on your child’s account, you need to contact each credit bureau and request the freeze. It costs $10 per bureau. Credit destroyed as a teen WINK News Call for Action reporter Lindsey Sablan interviewed one young lady, who had her identity stolen while she was in foster care. The victim asked she remain anonymous, so for the purpose of this story we have named her Julia. Julia said when she was 15 years old she received credit cards in the mail, but she never thought it was an issue. However, when she turned 18 and tried to get a phone, Julia realized someone had racked up debt under her social security number. “When I tried to get a phone at T-Mobile, I couldn’t get a phone because my credit,” Julia said. “When I go look for a place, usually they do a credit check. If I try to buy a car, they got to do a credit check and I’m not going to be able to buy a car and make [a] payment because I owe a lot of money on credit card [sic].” Julia does not know exactly who stole her identity but she has her suspicions. Experts said often in cases like Julia’s the suspect is a person who knew the child but not always. “It’s a multi-trillion dollar industry of buying and selling information and it all goes on the deep web,” said Kerskie. “I tell everyone to assume your information is already on the information black market and you need to take precaution, and you need to be diligent of monitoring your information.” As for Julia, she is trying to save up to pay cash for a car because she still cannot get a loan. “They messed me up big time…It [identity theft] affects us for the rest of our life.”