PENSACOLA, Fla. – After a disaster, fraud can be a problem.
Sometimes, survivors who try to register with FEMA discover that someone has already registered using their name. Scammers may contact survivors who have not registered with FEMA and try to extract money or information. In these cases, it is likely the survivor’s personal data has been compromised.
FEMA reminds survivors:
- FEMA and U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) never charge for registration, home inspections, grants, disaster-loan applications or anything else.
- If you have registered and want to verify any correspondence from FEMA, call at 800-621-3362 (TTY 800-462-7585).
- If you suspect fraud, call the National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721, the Florida Attorney General’s Fraud Hotline at 866-966-7226 or report it your local police department.
FEMA also recommends you monitor your credit report for any accounts or changes you do not recognize. If you discover someone is using your information, you will need to take additional steps, including filing a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission through its website: IdentityTheft.gov.
For more information about Hurricane Sally recovery in Florida, visit the FEMA disaster webpage at https://www.fema.gov/disaster/4564 or the Florida Division of Emergency Management webpage at https://www.floridadisaster.org/info/.