Homeowners and renters impacted by the storm have received automated phone calls telling them their flood premiums are past due and they must send money immediately or else have their flood insurance canceled, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
“There were a series of robocalls going out that were trying to extort people, saying if you did not make an additional payment, your policy would be canceled,” said Roy Wright, director of FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program, during a press briefing Thursday.
Residents should not respond to these robocalls, according an FTC news release. If an individual suspects fraud, he or she should call the FEMA Disaster Fraud Hotline (1-866-720-5721) and report it to the FTC.
The National Center for Disaster Fraud also released a statement, warning the public to be aware of and report scams soliciting money for charity relief.
Before donating, people should research organizations or charities and investigate their background, according to the statement.
The National Center for Disaster Fraud provided the following guidelines on its website:
- 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 members of charitable organizations or officials asking for donations via email 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 follow a purported link to a website, verify the legitimacy of nonprofit organizations by utilizing various Internet-based resources that may assist in confirming the group’s existence and its nonprofit status.
- Be cautious of emails 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; reputable charities do not use such tactics.
- Be aware of whom you are dealing with when providing your personal and financial information. Providing such information may compromise your identity and make you vulnerable to identity theft.
- Avoid cash donations if possible. Pay by 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.
