AICPA/Harris Poll reveals 37% of Americans Experienced Financial Fraud After a Natural Disaster
Over a lifetime, chances are you or your family may face a natural disaster. Whether it’s a tornado, earthquake, hurricane, fire or flood in your path, the dangers of the natural world cannot be avoided – but you can be informed, prepared, and know where to turn for help in the aftermath. The prevalence of fraud after such disasters can make things exponentially worse, compounding the emotional and financial toll and making both the emotional stress and financial loss even greater.
We always think it won’t happen to us. But post-disaster fraud is far more prevalent than we may imagine, and the attacks are getting more sophisticated. A new survey conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) found that 37% of Americans have experienced some type of fraud after being personally or professionally impacted by a natural disaster.
How to protect yourself
Following a natural disaster, communities frequently demonstrate remarkable generosity and mutual assistance; however, some individuals may perceive these situations as opportunities for exploitation. Fraud following a natural disaster is shockingly prevalent.
Before accepting help, confirm the source is legitimate. After a disaster, you may be contacted by government officials, charity workers, or contractors. They may have official-looking documents with them and may claim to represent organizations you have heard of and trust. But before you sign anything, accept any help, or give them any personal information, verify.
Always ask for identification from any contractor, government official, or charity worker that contacts you and verify by calling the number from the website and not the number the worker provided.
Verify licenses through your state’s licensing board, check credentials and complaint history with consumer protection agencies, and confirm active insurance coverage directly with the provider.
Obtain a detailed written estimate and review the contract carefully before signing.
Types of fraud
People who have been impacted by a natural disaster are likely already feeling stress. They may be confused about what to do and who to turn to, and suffering from financial loss. Many will be unprepared. Communication and network infrastructure may be unavailable. That’s when the fraudsters strike. Of the Americans who did experience some type of personal or professional fraud after a disaster:
23% experienced identity theft
23% experienced government assistance fraud
20% experienced vendor fraud
20% experienced insurance fraud
19% experienced charity fraud
18% experienced loan scams
18% experienced utility scams
16% experienced contractor fraud
FEMA may be a useful resource for help, guidance, and assistance after a natural disaster, but if someone claiming to represent FEMA contacts you, the agency makes some useful recommendations.
A FEMA housing inspector will never ask for your registration number – they will already have this in their records. They will also always wear a government badge. Don’t hesitate to ask them for identification. Also, FEMA notes that their inspectors will never ask for bank information, and they will never charge you a fee for an inspection.
If a legitimate FEMA inspector comes to your home, but you did not submit a FEMA application, you may be the victim of fraud and your information may have been used by a scammer to create a FEMA application. If that is the case, tell the inspector you did not submit an application, so they can submit a request to stop processing of the fraudulent application.
Caller ID? Don’t trust. Verify. Scammers use spoofing techniques to trick your caller ID to disguise their identity, and make the call appear to be official. If you do receive a call that seems to be coming from a government agency, hang up, look up the agency’s number on the official website, and call it.
Insurance coverage for fraud
Forty-eight percent of Americans said their personal insurance coverage does not include protection against fraud-related losses during disaster recovery. Personal insurance coverage can be an important step in recovering from post-disaster financial fraud, so before disaster strikes, make sure you have the right type of coverage.
Know ahead of time what type of disaster coverage you have and whether it includes fraud-related coverage. After a disaster, if you get a phone call about an insurance claim or policy, take a moment to independently verify whether the call is legitimate. If you’re not sure, hang up and contact your agent directly. Also, fraudulent contractors or home improvement companies may call or visit, claiming to be partnering with your insurance company. Don’t give out policy details or numbers, or any other personal information, especially to someone claiming to represent a company with whom you have not entered a contract.
Financial fraud tends to increase following disasters. The most effective approach is to prepare in advance by remaining informed and vigilant, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of your insurance coverage, and, when a disaster occurs, exercising additional caution by thoroughly verifying the credentials of individuals or organizations offering assistance.
A note on the survey methodology: This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of AICPA from June 13 - 17, 2025 among 2,093 adults ages 18 and older. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval. For this study, the sample data is accurate to within +/- 2.5 percentage points using a 95% confidence level.