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FEMA warns of Hurricane Irma aid fraud

by Kelly McCabe

A number of federal agencies are teaming together to investigate possible fraud in applications for rental assistance or lodging reimbursement after Hurricane Irma, the Miami Herald reported.

The Federal Emergency Management Administration and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security are at the helm of the investigation, which advises residents of areas hit by Hurricane Irma to monitor their credit reports for any unrecognizable charges or accounts. Residents that do notice such fraudulent activity are encouraged to file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission on its website IdentityTheft.org.

FEMA mailed Florida residents a letter that said, in part, “IMPORTANT: If you did not register for FEMA disaster assistance, call FEMA’s Helpline within 30-days of the date of this letter. If you did register for assistance, we also need you to call the FEMA Helpline to update your application information,” according to the newspaper.

Since the storm struck in September, FEMA has approved more than 760,000 applications for assistance and doled out more than $956 million in housing and other aid.

“FEMA is working to ensure that survivors who are eligible receive the assistance they need based on accurate applications and information,” Mills said to the Herald. “FEMA is notifying survivors by phone or mail that their applications are receiving additional scrutiny.”

 

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