Los Angeles (KTLA) – According to the Los Angeles Times, a family that lost everything in the Palisades Fire is now dealing with additional pain after criminals took their identities and filed a claim with the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Stefan Zweig, Judy Zweig’s husband, learned of the theft on January 20 while meeting with a FEMA worker to register for aid after losing their 30-year-old house, where they reared their children.
He was informed that someone had already used their identities to register for assistance, but with a different email address and phone number.
The couple was then forced to submit a claim with the agency, claiming they were victims of identity theft.
Judy took a day off from her job as a dental hygienist to return to the disaster assistance center, only to discover that their address had been “locked up” until FEMA could adjudicate their claim. Unfortunately, this meant that the Zweigs would be unable to obtain much-needed assistance.
“The FEMA officer who was attempting to conduct my intake stated that he had witnessed five examples of fraud. This is a widespread problem at FEMA, and part of the reason is that you can sign up online, and those who want to commit fraud are receiving benefits that people like us really need,” she told The Times.
Police claim a couple embezzled $5 million from a Southern California corporation.
A spokesman for the government backed up Judy’s claim, telling The Times that identity theft is not unusual after a natural catastrophe, but she couldn’t say whether there had been an increase in bogus claims in Los Angeles County following the fires.
Similar to fake COVID-19 unemployed benefit claims, fraudsters can easily purchase stolen identities, such as names, addresses, birth dates, and social security numbers, and file an online application before a victim in need can.
FEMA has 30 days to evaluate a person’s claim of identity theft and fraud and provide an update on the case.
“It simply felt like a gut punch. “It was extremely frustrating,” Judy’s husband, Stefan, told The Times. “It was one more hoop to jump through to get any kind of help.”
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