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Donors and Residents Warned of Disaster-Related Fraud by National Center for Disaster Fraud 

On October 7, 2022, in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian’s devastation, the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) issued a reminder that, as with any major catastrophe, there are unscrupulous crooks who want to use the situation to fill their own pockets.

“Fraudsters targeting individuals who are already suffering from the impact of Hurricane Ian is despicable and an inexcusable crime,” said U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Gathe Jr., who serves as the Executive Director of the NCDF. “We are still in hurricane season, and it is important for people to be on the lookout for fraudsters who seek to profit from natural disasters through identity theft schemes and solicitations for fake charities. This is especially true for the citizens of Florida, South Carolina and other states impacted by Ian. The Department of Justice, through U.S. Attorney Offices across all states and territories of the United States, are committed to detecting this type of fraud and will aggressively prosecute the offenders.”

The NCDF was formed as a result of a collaboration between the Department of Justice and different law enforcement and regulatory entities. Its mission is to strengthen and advance the detection, prevention, investigation, and prosecution of disaster-related fraud, as well as to advocate for victims of such fraud.

There is no sign that crooks would slow down their efforts to conduct fraud on persons who have previously been victims of Hurricane Ian. The following examples of disaster-related fraud are based on over 200,000 historical NCDF complaints:

• Fake charities immediately soliciting donations using the names of well-known charities or appearing reasonable as related to a disaster
• Individuals impersonating government officials and insurance company representatives advising that disaster assistance will be made available should the potential victim provide a sum of money or personal identifiers such as date of birth, social security number and bank account information (name of financial institution, routing number and account number)
• Individuals soliciting victims to invest in non-existent businesses and ventures offering recovery efforts such as cleanup, rebuilding and making structures, such as homes, more resistant to future disasters by elevating structures to minimize future flood risks
• Individuals overcharging for goods and services needed by victims of disaster, also known as price-gouging

Furthermore, depending on the sort of disaster, persons are regularly affected by the theft of property from companies and homes abandoned due to a disaster (either pre-disaster evacuation or to obtain living accommodations because of damaged apartments and homes).

Recommendations for avoiding becoming a victim of disaster fraud:

• Only make donations to known charities and only after contacting the charity directly and not in response to an email, instant message, phone call, text, etc. A recommended step is to research the charity by visiting recognized charity information/rating websites such as the Give.org, CharityNavigator.org and CharityWatch.org
• Never click on a link in an unsolicited email, instant message, text, etc.
• Never assume that charity solicitations posted on the internet and social media are legitimate
• Avoid cash donations to charities – use a credit card or pay with a check
• Never transmit donations to a specifically named individual
• Charities do not seek donations via electronic fund (financial institution)/wire transfers, so do not wire donations
• Avoid being victimized by impersonators of government officials, insurance companies, investment companies, etc., by terminating the phone call or other exchange of information (e.g., email, texts) and calling the actual government agency, insurance company, and/or investment company directly using a well-advertised phone number or email address

Individuals who have been the victim of disaster-related fraud or have been targeted by fraudsters are encouraged to contact the NCDF at (866) 720-5721 or online at by following this link.

Follow this link to report a typo or other issue.