After Las Vegas shooting, beware fake relief funds

Illustration by Severiano del Castillo Galvan/Las Vegas Review-Journal

In the aftermath of the Las Vegas attack and recent natural disasters across the country, law enforcement officials are reminding the public to be vigilant of fraudulent disaster relief funds.

“Unfortunately, criminals may use tragic events to exploit individuals and communities for their own gain,” the Justice Department said in a statement Tuesday. “Solicitations can originate from social media, emails, websites, door-to-door collections, mailings, telephone calls, and other similar methods.”

Anyone who suspects fraud involving disaster relief efforts or believes he or she may have been the victim of fraud should call the National Center for Disaster Fraud at 866-720-5721.

The Justice Department established the center to investigate, prosecute and deter fraud in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

More details about fraudulent relief funds can be found at www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud.

Contact Rio Lacanlale at rlacanlale@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Follow @riolacanlale on Twitter.