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The FTC Wants You to Scam-Proof Your Emergency Plan Before Disaster Hits

With National Preparedness Month underway, federal regulators are warning that scammers increasingly pose as officials, charities and contractors after storms and wildfires.

By THRYV Reviews Desk·Published September 21, 2026·Updated September 21, 2026·4 min read
The FTC Wants You to Scam-Proof Your Emergency Plan Before Disaster Hits
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The takeaway

The FTC is urging consumers to prepare against disaster-related fraud before, not after, an emergency: verify insurance coverage, photograph belongings for claims, store documents securely, and vet contractors in advance. The Sept. 9 alert warns that scammers routinely impersonate government officials, charities and repair contractors in the chaos following storms and wildfires.

Severe weather season is prime season for fraud, and the Federal Trade Commission is telling consumers to get their scam defenses in order before disaster strikes rather than scrambling afterward. In a consumer alert published Sept. 9 tied to National Preparedness Month, the agency laid out steps to take now.

How the scams work

The FTC says fraud tends to spike in the aftermath of tornadoes, wildfires, heat waves and flooding, when scammers pose as government officials, charity representatives or repair contractors offering fast help.

Recent violent storms, tornadoes, wildfires, heat waves, and extreme flooding are a reminder that severe weather and natural disasters can happen anytime, anywhere, and with little warning.
Federal Trade Commission

What to do before an emergency

  • Verify your insurance coverage for temporary shelter, replacement items and other disaster-related costs before you need it
  • Create a household inventory with photos of belongings to speed up any future insurance claim
  • Store scanned copies of important documents in cloud storage protected by a strong password and multifactor authentication
  • Research contractors in advance — ask for recommendations and search online for complaints before hiring anyone, especially after a disaster
  • Sign up for local emergency alert and warning systems

Red flag to remember

Legitimate government agencies and insurers don't demand upfront payment, gift cards or wire transfers to begin disaster assistance or repairs. If someone shows up unsolicited asking for immediate payment, treat it as a warning sign.

The FTC's guidance doesn't cite specific dollar losses from disaster-related fraud in this alert, but the agency has flagged the pattern as a recurring one every storm season, urging households to build these checks into their emergency planning rather than treating them as an afterthought.

Sources

This article is original writing by THRYV. We link to primary reporting and official documents rather than reproducing them.

  1. FTC Consumer Alert: National Preparedness Month, plan ahead to avoid scams — Federal Trade Commission

Why you can trust this article

Written and edited in-house by the THRYV Reviews Desk. We do not republish or reword agency copy, and we do not invent quotes, statistics, testimonials or ratings. Where figures move frequently, we point you to the primary release rather than printing a number that will be out of date. Advertising and affiliate partnerships have no influence on our reporting — see our editorial standards, fact-checking policy and affiliate disclosure. Spotted an error? Write to newsroom@thryv-news.com.

General information only. Not personalised financial, medical or legal advice.

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