FRAUDULENT FEMA CLAIMS

FRAUDULENT FEMA CLAIMS

In the weeks following Hurricane Ida, our agency has begun receiving an abundance of calls regarding fraudulent FEMA disaster claims filed on names of Assumption Parish residents. These cases are being investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice at the federal level. The following steps are recommended once someone learns they have been the victim of a fraudulent disaster claim:

1) Contact FEMA at 1-800-621-3362, or directly to the fraud division at either 1-866-223-0814 (phone) or StopFEMAFraud@fema.dhs.gov (email) to report the fraud to FEMA directly.

2) Contact U.S. Department of Justice, National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) at Phone number 866-720-5721 to commence an investigation. This can also be accomplished by visiting the following website: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/webform/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form

3) Notify the three credit bureaus (Experian, TransUnion, Equifax) of social security number and other identifying information potentially being compromised.

4) Notify Social Security Administration of social security number being compromised.

5) Visit www.identitytheft.gov to report the identity theft and find resources that may be helpful.

For additional information concerning this News Release, contact Sheriff Leland Falcon or Public Information Officer, Lonny Cavalier at 985-369-7281.