Be aware and report fraud during Harvey recovery, FEMA said

This article was originally published in The Examiner on Nov. 2, 2017.

By Eleanor Skelton
Staff Writer 

The Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is monitoring recently potentially suspicious activity related to the recovery
from hurricanes and the wildfires, including fraudulent registrations, FEMA said in a news release.

“Extensive review of FEMA system security logs found no indications of compromise to the system,” the agency said. “However, FEMA and its partners are taking necessary steps to determine impacts of the fraudulent activities and to implement long-term solutions.”

FEMA said the agency is notifying Hurricane Harvey survivors by phone and mail and putting in place additional verification in cases of potential fraud to make sure only eligible applicants receive disaster relief funds.

The Department of Homeland Security’s Office of the Inspector General said they “aggressively investigate allegations of disaster fraud after every federally declared disaster and works with other law enforcement agencies to identify and prosecute individuals who take advantage of programs meant to help those in need.”

Disaster survivors from Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria and the California wildfires should be on alert for suspicious activity or possible fraud and scam artists, and help identify and report thieves and other criminals attempting to defraud the government, officials said in the news release.

“In every disaster, it is important to provide information to the public on how to guard against fraud and report suspicious activity,” FEMA said. “FEMA remains committed to ensuring that all claims for assistance from eligible applicants are reviewed and processed appropriately.”

How to report disaster relief fraud after Tropical Storm Harvey:

To report suspicious activity or disaster fraud, you can call DHS OIG at (800) 323-8603, TTY 1 (844) 889-4357, or file a fraud complaint online at the OIG’s Web site, www.oig.dhs.gov, sent a fax to (202) 254-4297 or by mail to DHS Office of Inspector
General, Mail Stop 0305, Department of Homeland Security, 245 Murray Drive SW, Washington DC 20528-0305.

You can also call FEMA’s Office of the Chief Security Officer Tip line at 1 (866) 223-0814 or e-mail FEMA-OCSO-Tipline@fema.dhs.gov.

Anyone who discovers someone else is misusing their information should file a
complaint with the Federal Trade Commission through their Web site IdentityTheft.
gov.