Guam residents affected by Typhon Mawar should be aware that crooks may try to obtain money or steal personal information through fraud or identity theft after a disaster. Please don’t forget:
- FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistance teams, housing inspectors and other authorized officials working in impacted areas always carry official identification badges with photo IDs.
- FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration representatives never charge applicants for disaster assistance, inspections or help in filling out applications.
- Don’t believe anyone who promises a disaster grant in return for payment.
- Be suspicious of unexpected phone calls or visits to your home from people claiming to be FEMA housing inspectors or people claiming they work for FEMA (FEMA representatives will have your FEMA application number).
- Don’t give out your banking information to a person claiming to be a FEMA housing inspector (FEMA inspectors are never authorized to collect your personal financial information).
In some cases, thieves try to apply for FEMA assistance using names, addresses and Social Security numbers they have stolen from survivors.
If a FEMA inspector comes to your home and you did not submit a FEMA application, your information may have been used without your knowledge to create a FEMA application. If so, please inform the inspector that you did not apply for FEMA assistance so they can submit a request to stop further processing of the application.
If you did not apply for assistance but receive a letter from FEMA, please call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362. The Helpline will submit a request to stop any further processing of that application. If you do wish to apply for FEMA assistance after stopping an application made in your name without your knowledge, the Helpline will assist you in creating a new application.
If you suspect fraudulent activity involving FEMA, you can report it to the FEMA Fraud Branch at: StopFEMAFraud@fema.dhs.gov, fax: 202-212-4926 or write to: FEMA Fraud and Internal Investigation Division, 400 C Street SW Mail Stop 3005, Washington, DC 20472-3005.
If you suspect identity theft, please visit Identity Theft | FTC Consumer Information or IdentityTheft.gov.
Residents are also advised to report any suspicious activity or suspected fraud to local law enforcement or the Mariana Regional Fusion Center (MRFC) at 671-475-0400 or via email at mrfc@ghs.guam.gov, following the Department of Homeland Security’s campaign, “If You See Something, Say Something.” Information that is provided to the MRFC will be recorded and properly disseminated to all pertinent authorities.
For answers to other questions about FEMA disaster assistance, go here.
For information on Guam’s recovery, go here. Follow FEMA on Twitter and Facebook
Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency, or economic status. If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 833-285-7448. If you use a relay service, such as video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service or others, give FEMA the number for that service. Multilingual operators are available (press 2 for Spanish and 3 for other languages).