If you live in a community affected by a hurricane or tropical storm, 要小心这些灾后骗局.
救灾慈善诈骗
You may start receiving donation requests through email, social media posts, texts or phone calls. These messages may tug at your heart strings, but 谨慎使用. This is a common way for thieves to scam suffering communities.
如何避免慈善筹款骗局.
Only donate to trusted, well-known charities. Beware of scammers who create fake charities during natural disasters. Always verify if a charity is legitimate through its official website. If you have any doubts, you can check with Better 业务 Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance, “慈善导航, 慈善机构表, or GuideStar. 你也可以查询 National Association of State Charity Officials whether charities must be registered in your state and if the charity contacting you is on file with your state.
核实所有慈善机构的电话号码. If you need to contact a charity by phone, check the charity's official website to see if the number you have is legitimate. 如果你正在使用文本捐赠, check with the charity to ensure the number is legitimate before donating.
不要打开可疑的邮件. If you receive a suspicious email requesting donations or other assistance, do 不 click on any links or open any attachments. Scammers regularly use email for phishing attacks and to spread malware.
Verify information in social media posts. Double-check any solicitation for charitable donations before you give. Crowd-funding websites often host individual requests for help but they are 不 always vetted by the site or other sources.
联邦应急管理局冒名顶替者
自然灾害之后, scammers impersonate FEMA representatives to collect victims’ personal information and/or their money.
How to avoid post-disaster insurance scams.
Know that officials with 政府ernment disaster assistance agencies do 不 call or text asking for financial account information, and that there is no fee required to apply for or get disaster assistance from FEMA or the Small 业务 Administration. Anyone claiming to be a federal official who asks for money is an imposter
根据 联邦通信委员会, if you get a phone call about an insurance claim or policy, don't give out any personal information or agree to any payment until you can independently verify that the call is legitimate. If the caller says they're from your insurance company, hang up and contact your agent or the company directly using the number on your account statement. Policyholders with the National Flood 保险 Program (NFIP Direct) can call 1-800-638-6620.
If you applied for FEMA and you receive a phone call from someone claiming to represent the federal organization, only share your FEMA claim number over the phone. If the caller is legitimate, they’ll already have any other information they need.
If a FEMA representative shows up at your home, ask to see a FEMA-issued photo ID badge. Do 不 give the “FEMA rep” any of your money – or any of your personal information.
阴暗的维修承包商
Many so-called contractors will make the rounds of neighborhoods that have seen storm damage to offer their services to homeowners seeking repairs. They may ask for upfront payment for any work you need and then do a sloppy job or never complete their task. You won’t realize you’ve been conned until the worker has left your home with your money in their pocket.
They may also show up at your door claiming to represent a utility company you use. They’ll threaten to shut off your service if you don’t provide immediate payment for any repairs you might need.
如何避免维修诈骗.
永远不要给出保单编号, 报道的细节, or other personal information out to companies with whom you have 不 entered into a contract. 如果你所在的州需要执照, verify that any contractor you are considering is licensed and carries adequate insurance. Ask to see proof that they indeed represent the company they claim to work for and do 不 make any upfront payments until you have checked out their authenticity.
Don’t let scammers make hurricane recovery harder than it already is. 运用常识. If you suspect fraud, let the 联邦贸易委员会 know at 联邦贸易委员会.政府.
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