Suspect Fraud, Waste Or Abuse?
Call the Office of the Inspector General of FEMA
Release Date: October 15, 2008
Release Number: 1785-065
» More Information on Florida Tropical Storm Fay
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Officials of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the State Emergency Response Team (SERT) caution Floridians to be on the lookout for fraudulent activities by unscrupulous individuals who try to take advantage of situations created by disasters such as Tropical Storm Fay.
The Office of the Inspector General of FEMA investigates all citizens' complaints of fraud, waste or abuse involving FEMA contracts, programs or personnel. It maintains a toll-free Fraud Hotline at 1-800-323-8603.
These are some examples of complaints that are typically filed with the Inspector General:
- Applicants used false names and multiple and/or fictitious addresses
- Applicants claimed losses they did not incur or to which they were not entitled
- Applicants did not use FEMA funds for their intended purposes
- Municipal officials used FEMA money for their own benefit
- FEMA checks were stolen
- Applicants received duplicate payments from FEMA and their insurance companies
Individuals and/or businesses may also file complaints by writing to:
Office of the Inspector General
Federal Emergency Management Agency
500 C Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20472
Those who visit the Office of the Inspector General Website at www.fema.gov/ig/hotline.shtm will find an option to submit a complaint using Internet electronic mail, but officials note those who elect to submit complaints via Internet e-mail must waive confidentiality due to the non-secure nature of Internet electronic mail systems.
In the battle against fraud, waste and abuse, FEMA and SERT encourage all Floridians to come forward and report all instances of misuse of state and federal disaster assistance funds.
FEMA coordinates the federal government's role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.
Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status. If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-FEMA (3362). For TTY call 800-462-7585.
For statewide disaster information and to find out how you can Get A Plan! for disasters, please visit www.FloridaDisaster.org
Last Modified: Wednesday, 15-Oct-2008 18:47:35