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The Delaware County
Sheriff’s Office advises
Delaware County Residents to be wary of “Flood Scams”
September 2, 2011
In the wake of Irene’s
initial wrath, be prepared to encounter “fraudsters”, who
will use one’s frustration or sympathy from storm damage to
inflict consumer abuse. Some storm chasers are scam artists
and fly-by-night contractors who specialize in following the
trail of natural disasters to practice their trade. They
blow into a ravaged community, supposedly help people in
conflict, collect money (and negotiable salvage) and then
vanish to plunder another damaged community.
The office and staff
of the Delaware County Emergency Operations Center have
begun receiving inquiries and reports of potential fraud and
scams associated with the FEMA response to Hurricane Irene.
One specific complaint
involves those who have allowed others to tow away their
disabled or flood-damaged vehicles. Unfortunately, the
owners do not know where the automobiles were taken. They
have vanished without a trace and the owners have not
received any payment for them. This is especially
problematic since the vehicles are not available for
inspection as a prerequisite to the submittal of insurance
claims.
Another complaint
involves predators who offer to fill out a storm victim’s
FEMA applications and in so doing seek to extract a “filing
fee”. FEMA does not charge a filing fee.
Home repair scams
abound. Fly-by-night con artists promise low prices and
speedy repairs. They often are never seen again once they
receive your deposit. If they do perform the work, it is
often shoddy, unfinished or unsafe. In an effort to avoid
being scammed, demand to be shown a copy of a contractor’s
liability insurance policy and contact the insurer to make
sure that the policy is valid. A legitimate contractor will
often ask for one-third of the project before commencement;
another third midway through and the remainder at the
completion of the project. Some people have overpaid because
they were anxious to get the problem solved quickly. It is
always a good idea to solicit quotes from more than one
contractor.
The FBI and the
National Center for Disaster Fraud has generated the
following consumer protection alert:
“The FBI and the
National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) established a
telephone hotline to report suspected fraud associated with
relief efforts associated with Hurricane Irene. That number,
(866)-720-5721, is staffed for the purpose of reporting
suspected scams being perpetrated by criminals in the
aftermath of Hurricane Irene and is staffed by a live
operator 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Additionally,
e-mail information can be directly sent to
disaster@leo.gov.
The National Center
for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) was originally established by the
Department of Justice to investigate, prosecute, and defer
fraud in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, when billions of
dollars in federal disaster relief poured into the gulf Cost
Region. Now, its mission has expanded to include suspected
fraud from any natural or manmade disaster. More than 20
federal agencies, including the FBI, participate in the NCDF,
allowing the center to act as a centralized clearinghouse of
information related to Hurricane Irene relief fraud.
The FBI continues to
remind the public to apply a critical eye and do their due
diligence before giving contributions to anyone soliciting
donations on behalf of Hurricane Irene victims.
Solicitations can originate from e-mails, websites,
door-to-door collections, mailings and telephone calls, and
similar methods.
Therefore, before
making a donation of any kind, consumers should adhere to
certain guidelines, including the following:
Do not respond to
any unsolicited (spam) incoming e-mails, including
clicking links contained within those messages because
they may contain computer viruses.
Be skeptical of
individuals representing themselves as surviving victims
or officials asking for donations via e-mail or social
networking sites.
Beware of
organizations with copy-cat names similar to but not
exactly the same as those of reputable charities.
Rather than
following a purported link to a website, verify the
legitimacy of non-profit organizations by utilizing
various Internet-based resources that may assist in
confirming the group’s existence and its non-profit
status.
Be cautious of
e-mails that claim to show pictures of the disaster
areas in attached files, because the files may contain
viruses. Only open attachments from known senders.
To ensure
contributions are received and used for intended
purposes, make contributions directly to known
organizations, rather than relying on others to make the
donation on your behalf.
Do not be
pressured into making contributions, as reputable
charities do not use such tactics.
Do not give your
personal or financial information to anyone who solicits
contributions. Providing such information may compromise
your identity and make you vulnerable to identity theft.
Avoid cash
donations if possible. Pay by debit or credit card, or
write a check directly to the charity. Do not make
checks payable to individuals.
Legitimate
charities do not normally solicit donations via money
transfer services.
Most legitimate
charities websites end in .org rather than .com.
In addition, the NCDF
is the intake center for all disaster relief fraud.
Therefore, if you are aware of anyone that has submitted a
fraudulent claim for disaster relief, or any other suspected
fraudulent activities pertaining to the receipt of
government funds as part of disaster relief or clean up,
please contact the NCDF.
If you believe you
have been a victim of fraud from a person or an organization
soliciting relief funds on behalf of Hurricane Irene
victims, or if you know of fraudulent disaster relief claims
submitted by a person or organization, contact the National
Center for Disaster Fraud at (866) 720-5721. You can also
fax information to (225)-334-4707 or e-mail to
disaster@leo.gov.
You can also report
suspicious e-mail solicitations or fraudulent websites to
the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at
www.ic3.gov .” |
