AFTER DISASTERS, PEOPLE ARE ESPECIALLY VULNERABLE TO SCAMS. HERE'S HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF

During natural disasters like wildfires and floods, scammers often emerge to prey on victims.

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People in heightened emotional states in the wake of a catastrophic event should be extra careful of impersonators asking for identifying details, according to Karina Layugan, an attorney with the Federal Trade Commission based in Los Angeles, where firefighters in the region are battling blazes that have already destroyed thousands of homes and killed at least 24 people.

Scammers sometimes pretend to be from the utility company or the Federal Emergency Management Agency and ask to “verify information.” If someone uses that phrase, ask why the individual needs that information and “always contact the company or agency directly,” she said. That’s information those organizations should already have.

“It’s something that’s unfortunately very common,” Layugan said. “After disasters, people are also particularly vulnerable to people saying you need to ‘act fast’ and using urgency to pressure people into taking actions that might not be in their best interest.”

Layugan stresses that FEMA will never charge fees for applications for aid, and that people should be skeptical of anyone “who says they’ll help others get FEMA relief soon and who charges up-front fees.”

The same goes for contractors.

“After a disaster, people looking to rebuild will get a flood of contractors coming to them and saying they can help and they ‘know the system.’ Sometimes they’re looking for a