In the wake of the July storms in Illinois, residents are being warned to stay alert for disaster fraud. The Illinois Emergency Management Agency urges everyone impacted to safeguard their personal information and refrain from making any payments. Reports of suspicious activities should be directed to local law enforcement or the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362. Authorities emphasize the importance of verifying the credentials of any individuals offering disaster recovery services to prevent exploitation during this vulnerable time.
If a FEMA inspector comes to your home and you did not apply for assistance, your information may have been used without your knowledge to create an application. If this happens, inform the inspector that you did not apply for FEMA assistance, so they can submit a request to stop the application. If you didn’t apply for FEMA aid and you receive a letter in the mail, call the number above to speak with FEMA.
FEMA inspectors will come to your home to inspect the damage. FEMA inspectors will already have your FEMA application number, but they may ask you to verify personally identifiable information by phone. If you’re unsure whether a FEMA call or visit is legitimate, contact the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362 to verify.
Don’t give your banking information to a person claiming to be a FEMA housing inspector. FEMA inspectors do not collect or ask to confirm your personal financial information. Always ask for ID.
If you believe you are the victim of a scam, report it immediately to your local police or sheriff’s department.
If you have knowledge of fraud or scams involving FEMA’s disaster relief operations, you can report this to FEMA:
- Email: [email protected]
- Phone: 866-223-0814
- Mail: 400 C Street SW Mail Stop 3005, Washington, DC 20472-3005.
To report and get help recovering from identity theft, visit IdentityTheft.gov.
For even more information about the disaster recovery operation in Illinois, visit www.fema.gov/disaster/4819.