After a disaster, scam artists, identity thieves and other criminals may attempt to prey on survivors. The most common post-disaster fraud practices include phony housing inspectors, fraudulent building contractors, bogus pleas for disaster donations and fake offers of state or federal aid.
Survivors should keep in mind:
- Federal and state workers never ask for or accept money and always carry photo-ID badges.
- There is NO FEE required to apply for or to get disaster assistance from FEMA, the U.S. Small Business Administration or the state.
- Scam attempts can be made over the phone, by mail or email, text, or in person.
FEMA encourages survivors to be especially vigilant for these common post-disaster fraud practices:
- Fraudulent building contractors
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- Use only licensed local contractors backed by reliable references.
- Use only contractors who carry general liability insurance and workers’ compensation.
- Don’t pay more than half the costs of repairs upfront.
- Bogus pleas for post-disaster donations
- Verify legitimate solicitations by asking for the charity’s exact name, street address, phone number and webpage.
- Call the charity and confirm that the person asking for funds is a genuine employee or volunteer.
- Don’t pay donations with cash.
- Request a receipt with the charity’s name, street address and phone number.
- Fake offers of state or federal aid
- Beware of visits, telephone calls or emails – claiming to be from FEMA or the State of Illinois – asking for your Social Security number, bank account number or other sensitive information.
- Avoid scam artists who promise a disaster grant and ask for large cash deposits or advance payments in full.
- Federal and state workers will never ask for or accept money or charge applicants for disaster assistance, inspections or help in filling out applications.
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If you suspect fraud, you are encouraged to call the toll-free Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or the Illinois Attorney General’s fraud hotline at 1-800-243-0618, Línea Gratuita en Español 1-866-310-8398. Complaints also may be made by contacting local law enforcement agencies.
For disaster updates from FEMA, follow @FEMAregion5 on Twitter, and turn on mobile notifications. Visit the disaster webpage at fema.gov/disaster/4676.
For disaster updates from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA), follow @ReadyIllinois on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and turn on mobile notifications. http://www.illinois.gov/iema/ continues to be a go-to, single source to help Illinois residents easily find information and disaster-related resources.