State and federal disaster recovery officials caution North Carolina residents to be on the alert for scam artists using old and new tricks to take advantage of homeowners or to obtain vital information.
The Rockingham Sheriff’s Office has reported thieves who pose as FEMA agents in order to rob residents. According to news reports, the Sheriff’s Office states that while one thief distracts a homeowner, another enters the home to rob it.
“While North Carolina Emergency Management and FEMA are working with local officials to help several Triad communities recover from recent winter storms, there are no state or federal emergency management personnel working with individuals or business owners who incurred damage from the recent storms,” cautioned state Emergency Management Director Mike Sprayberry.
Last month, Governor Pat McCrory applied for and received federal financial assistance to help nine central North Carolina counties recover some of the costs associated with the March 6-7 winter storm. Aid was approved to help cover the costs of storm debris removal and other storm response activities in Alamance, Caswell, Davidson, Davie, Granville, Guilford, Orange, Person, and Randolph counties. There was not enough uninsured or underinsured damage incurred by individuals or business owners to qualify for federal or state aid for those storms.
People may pretend to be employed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) or other government agencies or public utilities. By going door-to-door or by phone or on the internet, con artists may try to obtain personal information such as Social Security and bank account numbers, or, as in the Rockingham County reports, to rob a homeowner.
Remember: a FEMA shirt or jacket is not absolute proof of someone’s affiliation with the agency. All authorized FEMA personnel display a laminated photo identification card, which they are required to wear at all times.