Federal and state officials are warning of frauds and scams targeting survivors of Typhoon Halong.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and State of Alaska said that scam artists may pose as government officials, aid workers, or employees of insurance agencies.
FEMA advises always requesting to see official identification from people who say they are inspectors. All FEMA employees will carry a photo ID badge.
FEMA and local disaster workers do not charge for any kind of assistance.
The Alaska Housing Finance Corporation warned in late November that survivors of Typhoon Halong should also be aware of fake assistance webpages, and of anyone who contacts survivors directly requesting personal information, like fees or bank details, in exchange for financial assistance.
The finance corporation does not use private messages on social media or any third party individual to offer disaster relief or emergency funds.
If you are contacted by anyone who seems suspicious, FEMA says to call 1-866-342-1699 to verify if that FEMA contact is legitimate.
To report disaster fraud, you can also email law enforcement at StopFEMAFraud@fema.dhs.gov.