Hurricane Audits

In the wake of Katrina, Rita and Wilma hurricanes, we saw a lot of instances of fraud being committed against the government and charitable organizations.

Apparently, the government (President's Council) is looking into some of the potential fraud and to quote Scott Amey, General Counsel of the Project for Government Oversight (POGO), “Some of the audit findings confirm our worst fears -- agencies were ill-prepared to meet the country’s contracting needs. These audits ensure that contractors did not exploit mistakes that may have been made in the chaotic rush following the hurricanes.”

Here is the report from Pogo: Investigations into Katrina Waste and Fraud Detailed.

In the rash of disasters (especially these and the Tsunami) fraud seem to occur from individuals making false claims to organized phishing scams and fake charity sites being set up.

I wrote a lot of posts regarding fraud at the time of Katrina. In case anyone is interested:

Being Prudent in Donating Money (Katrina)

Katrina Fraud Status

Fraud Relating to Katrina in Full Swing

Status of Fraud in Katrina

Advance Fee Scams with Katrina

Katrina Fraud Far and Wide

Katrina Commission

Identity Theft/Check Fraud in Katrina

FBI Reports Fraudulent Activity on Internet Related to Hurricane ...

With all the evidence of people lacking any morals taking advantage of the hardships these disasters created, it is a prudent move to investigate and (hopefully) prosecute these actions.

It's a rotten thing to take advantage of people's hardships and undermine efforts to help them. They deserve whatever punishment is handed down to them.

Here is POGO's website: Beth Daley - Government Oversight.