Fraudulent Inspectors Prey On Hurricane Victims
Release Date: August 20, 2004
Release Number: 1539-012
» More Information on Florida Hurricane Charley and Tropical Storm Bonnie
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) inspectors.
Federal Coordinating Officer Bill Carwile said, “FEMA has received several reports of persons seeking money or other personal information which bona fide FEMA inspectors would not do. Fraudulent inspectors have been reported in some instances to wear a shirt with an unauthorized FEMA logo.”
Carwile noted that FEMA inspectors and FEMA contractors performing their work wear distinctive photo identification cards. The FEMA shirt by itself is not sufficient proof. The laminated card, always with the identifying picture, is the ultimate validity check. The same is true for the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) regarding photo identification.
“In addition to not asking for any sort of remuneration,” he said, “the inspector will not ask a victim for such personal business items as bank account or social security numbers. The job of our FEMA and contract inspectors working in all of the declared counties is to assist distraught families and to provide all assistance authorized by law.”
Another new fraud reported is a telephone scam where individuals represent themselves as FEMA employees. They say the government is going to give the citizen a large grant, but the fraud person asks for a processing fee first. In some of these events, the caller even has the victim’s routing bank number and address of the financial institution.
Carwile urged any person who feels a fraudulent, would-be inspector approaches them to report the incident to FEMA’s fraud hot line at 1-800-323-8603. The FEMA official said official inspectors do not call for personal data, but get required information when the registrant calls FEMA.
There are others who seek to prey on persons who have been damaged by the storm. FEMA stresses that when approached to perform any sort of repair work such as repairing roofs, repainting, or making structural repairs, owners should first insist on see proper operating licenses and proof of insurance. In the event of major projects, owners should consider written contracts with specified total costs.
On March 1, 2003, FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. FEMA's continuing mission within the new department is to lead the effort to prepare the nation for all hazards and effectively manage federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates proactive mitigation activities, trains first responders, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration.
Last Modified: Saturday, 21-Aug-2004 15:37:58