Florida officials warn of FEMA application fee scam

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. - Officials in Florida are warning residents impacted by the devastation left behind by Hurricane Ian of a scam going around asking residents to pay a fee to apply for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

The Orange County Sheriff's Office said it has received reports of residents being asked for an application fee, though FEMA and insurance would never ask for a payment to process a claim.

"For those who may have been victims of such a scam, contact the Attorney General's Office of Citizen Services either by calling the Attorney General's Fraud Hotline at 1-866-966-7226 or by filling out an online complaint form at http://myfloridalegal.com/contact," the sheriff's office said in a social media post. 

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Eligible Florida residents who need help covering temporary housing, basic home repairs, or other disaster-related needs not covered by insurance, can apply for FEMA's disaster assistance either online at disasterassistance.gov, via FEMA mobile app, or by phone at 800-621-3362 (7 a.m. - 1 p.m.).