Disasters can cause stress and leave survivors in vulnerable conditions. Unfortunately, this can become a prime opportunity for scammers to attack.
After a disaster, con artists, or other criminals may try to obtain money or steal personal information through fraud or identity theft. The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) encourages residents to be alert and take steps to protect themselves:
Be Wary
- Housing inspectors and other building professionals may be working in areas impacted by storms or other disasters. Be wary of uninvited soliciting of disaster relief services. If you suspect fraud, make sure to check their identification.
- All local, state, or federal government officials have an official photo ID issued by their agency. Don’t be afraid to ask for identification if approached by anyone claiming to be with the government.
- Be wary of unexpected phone calls or visits to your home from people claiming to be government housing inspectors.
- Don’t give your banking information to a person claiming to be a government housing inspector.
- Don’t believe anyone who promises a disaster grant in return for payment.
Report Fraud
- If you believe you are the victim of a scam, report it immediately to your local police or sheriff’s department.
- If you suspect identity theft, please visit Identity Theft | FTC Consumer Information or IdentityTheft.gov.
Important Message for Residents Impacted by Federally Declared Disasters
- If a federal inspector comes to your home and you did not submit an application for assistance, your information may have been used without your knowledge to create a federal disaster assistance application.
- If so, please inform the inspector that you did not apply for federal assistance so they can submit a request to stop further processing of the application.
- If you did not apply for federal assistance, but received a letter from FEMA, please call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362 to alert staff and/or the Disaster Fraud Helpline at 866-720-5721 to report the fraudulent incident. The helpline will submit a request to stop any further processing of that application.
- If you do wish to apply for federal assistance after stopping an application made in your name without your knowledge, the Helpline will assist you in creating a new application.
- If you suspect fraudulent activity involving FEMA, you can report it to the FEMA Fraud Branch at: StopFEMAFraud@fema.dhs.gov, fax: (202) 212-4926 or write to: FEMA Fraud and Internal Investigation Division, 400 C Street SW Mail Stop 3005, Washington, DC 20472 3005.