En Español

Making false statements to a FEMA inspector is a prosecutable offense under Title 18 of the United States Code. Potential cases of fraud or misuse are referred to the U.S. Justice Department for prosecution. Penalties for felony offenses can be severe.

People who made a mistake when reporting damage or may have misrepresented their losses have the opportunity to cancel their claim. Individuals may call the Helpline at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or TTY: 1-800-462-7585 (for the speech and hearing impaired) to withdraw or correct an application and prevent prosecution.

If you know anyone who has filed false damage claims or is perpetrating any other disaster-related fraud you may report the incident to the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General Fraud Hotline at 1-800-323-8603.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is the federal government's primary source of money for the long term rebuilding of disaster damaged private property. SBA helps homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes and private, nonprofit organizations fund repairs or rebuilding efforts, and cover the cost of replacing lost or disaster damaged personal property. These disaster loans cover uninsured or uncompensated losses and do not duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations.

Information gathered from this article. This article posted with permission from Mayra Lopez-de-Victoria, FEMA Headquarters.