Oak Park Chief Warns of FEMA Scams

Oak Park Chief Warns of FEMA Scams
(Oak Park Public Safety Chief Steve Cooper, Oct. 12, 2014)
Oak Park Residents:
Please take extra caution in responding to people who contact you regarding follow-up to the August floods.
Several residents have reported receiving phone calls from subjects posing as representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The callers are attempting to get residents to provide them with personal information, such as checking account information and/or social security numbers, with the claim that FEMA will wire funds into residents’ accounts. In one instance, when a resident told the caller to mail her the check instead, the fraudulent caller hung up.
Also, a few of residents have also reported having received calls from alleged cleaning companies stating that they have been contracted through the City of Oak Park to come out and clean basements, etc. Please note that the City of Oak Park has NOT contracted with any company to do any post-flood clean-up.
Clearly, both matters are an attempt to scam residents into becoming victims.
Should you receive such a call, please do not share your personal information. Contact Public Safety immediately at (248) 691-7520 if you have information to share about the call, such as a caller ID phone number. You can also report fraudulent phone calls to the Federal Trade Commission, the nation’s consumer protection agency.
Please protect yourself by being smart; and protect your neighbors by sharing this information with them.
ALL Oak Park residents and business owners affected by the floods who seek federal assistance must contact the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) directly by visiting the FEMA web site at www.disasterassistance.gov or by calling (800) 621-FEMA (3362) – regardless of whether or not you initially completed a claim form with the City of Oak Park. Requests for assistance from FEMA must be made by November 24, 2014.
FEMA REPRESENTATIVES AT CITY HALL FOR INTAKE REGISTRATION: Mondays – Thursdays, 8 AM – 5 PM
EDITORS NOTES:
FEMA has locations in Ferndale (https://oaklandcounty115.com/2014/10/07/fema-opens-disastery-recover-center-at-ferndales-kulick-community-center/), Hazel Park (https://oaklandcounty115.com/2014/10/10/hazel-park-has-fema-assistance-at-rec-center) and Royal Oak (http://www.ropl.org/news/item/804-fema-registration-intake-centers-open-in-royal-oak).
Also check out our post on “How to Avoid Flood Scams” at https://oaklandcounty115.com/2014/08/15/how-to-avoid-after-flood-scams/.

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