Disaster Aid Agencies Guard Against Fraud
Release Date: February 5, 2004
Release Number: 1505-016
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SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), and the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (OES) are working to identify the small percentage of disaster assistance applicants who try to cash in on the misfortune of others.
"Managing a multi-million dollar disaster program always means walking a fine line between bringing speedy service to those who need it and ensuring that taxpayer dollars are not misused," said Dallas Jones, OES director and state coordinating officer.
Making false statements to a FEMA inspector is itself a prosecutable offense under Title 18 of the United States Code. Potential cases of fraud or misuse are referred to the U.S. Justice Department for prosecution. Penalties for felony offenses can be severe.
"A number of methods are used to detect fraud," said FEMA's Peter Martinasco, federal coordinating officer. "An automated system cross-checks information with other agencies and insurance companies to weed out duplicate applications. Field inspections are then conducted to verify losses and damages."
People who made a mistake when reporting damage or may have misrepresented their losses have the opportunity to cancel their claims. Individuals can call the toll-free number, 1-800-621-FEMA (1-800-621-3362), to withdraw or correct an application and prevent prosecution. Hearing and speech impaired individuals can call TTY at 1-800-462-7585.
Anyone who knows of someone who has filed false damage claims or perpetrated any other disaster-related fraud, can report the incident to the Fraud Hotline at 1-800-323-8603.
OES coordinates overall state agency response to major disasters in support of local government. The office is responsible for ensuring California's readiness to respond to and recover from natural, manmade and war-caused emergencies and for assisting local governments in their emergency preparedness, response, mitigation and recovery efforts.
SBA is the federal government's primary source of money for the long-term rebuilding of disaster-damaged private property. SBA helps homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes, and private non-profit organizations fund repairs or rebuilding efforts, and cover the cost of replacing lost or disaster-damaged personal property. These disaster loans cover uninsured and uncompensated losses and do not duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations.
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: Friday, 06-Feb-2004 10:37:10