Authorities warn of storm scammers – Jacksonville Daily News
Federal, state and local law enforcement officials are warning residents to be wary of scams and gouging in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene.
N.C. Attorney General Roy Cooper announced earlier this week that he would sternly prosecute price gouging in connection to the storm.
The Department of Homeland Security is warning computer users to be careful of virus-spreading emails claiming to be from someone needing help after Irene.
And Onslow County Sheriff Ed Brown told homeowners to be on the lookout for schemes involving debris removal for cash.
The state’s price gouging law went into effect when Gov. Bev Perdue declared a state of emergency.
“We’re warning price gougers that you can’t use a crisis as an excuse to make an unfair profit off of consumers,” Cooper said in a press release.
Price gouging, charging too much in a time of crisis, is against state law when a disaster, an emergency or an abnormal market disruption for critical goods and services is declared or proclaimed by the Governor. The law applies to all levels of the supply chain from the manufacturer to the distributor to the retailer, according to N.C. General Statute 75-38.
“If you think that someone is trying to use Hurricane Irene to justify ripping you off, let my office know about it,” Cooper said.
Brown has also implored residents to let his office know when they someone is trying to trick them into forking over their hard-earned money for shoddy construction work or debris removal after the storm.
Brown warned residents, especially the elderly, to never enter into an agreement without seeking advice of family, friends or law enforcement.
“Request a written, detailed contract,” he said. “Most all scammers want money up front. Sheriff Brown personally asks you not to give any money up front as this is how most scams occur.”
Brown said there were a few con artists who tried to get money out of the victims of a devastating tornado that hit the Piney Green area in April.
Often the con artists will agree to remove debris for a price, ask for some or all of the money up front and then disappear, Brown said, adding that residents should not hesitate to call the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office at 910-455-3113 should they have a question or become suspicious of someone offering to do work for cash.
Bigger picture criminals don’t want your cash, they want your identity, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is warning.
In a warning issued Thursday, the agency said business owners, residents and government officials should be aware of storm-related phishing attacks and other malicious cyberactivity.
The agency said that cybercriminals go into overdrive during highly publicized natural disasters like hurricanes and earthquakes.
“Both government agencies and private organizations could possibly become recipients of malicious activity, most commonly in the form of socially engineered spear-phishing emails,” according to the alert from the DHS National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center.
Computer users should beware of emails with attachments and/or subject lines related to Hurricane Irene. Clicking on such emails could cause malware, such as keyloggers and remote access tools, to be downloaded on the user’s computer.
Consumers can report potential price gouging and other schemes to the N.C. Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division by calling 1-877-5-NO-SCAM or by filing a complaint form at ncdoj.gov.
Contact Daily News Senior Reporter Lindell Kay at 910-219-8455 or lkay@freedomenc.com. Read his crime blog, "Off the Cuff," at http://onslowcrime.encblogs.com.
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