Mid-South Red Cross uncovers more hurricane scams
The Mid-South Red Cross has filed 38 reports in the past month after an internal audit revealed a total of $75,000 in thefts.
Nearly 60 cases have been filed related to hurricane relief scams.
Red Cross officials said they just want the money back.
“It certainly would be better for all, that if the people we identified would pay restitution, we would drop the charges and have the money back to do good,” said Bill Hilderbrandt, Mid-South Red Cross CEO.
Hilderbrandt said one person recently paid the money back and contributed more to the Red Cross.
“We were pleased to hear that,” he said.
Thousands of evacuees from Louisiana and Mississippi fled to Memphis when Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in August. The Mid-South Red Cross helped about 13,000 evacuees.
Many of the early scams involved people posing as evacuees trying to obtain monetary help, said Lt. D.L. Sheffield, with the Memphis Police Department’s economic crimes bureau.
The recent cases mostly involve actual hurricane victims trying to get more money than they’re entitled.
Police incident reports show some people gave incorrect names to get money for themselves or family members or to collect multiple checks from different Red Cross locations.
Sheffield said he’s not surprised people are using the hurricane to make money.
“You have people who are opportunists and thieves,” Sheffield said. “They’re going to use this large opportunity to steal.”
Investigators said it’s difficult to track down suspects because many may have left Memphis.
“If they’re Katrina victims from Louisiana and Mississippi, they may have gone back to Louisiana and Mississippi,” Sheffield said. “I wouldn’t put it past them if they just traveled around every place that was doing those (relief) checks.”