BATON ROUGE, La. — The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and state officials are urging Louisianians to watch out for unscrupulous solicitors asking for disaster- related financial information over the phone. Hurricane Isaac survivors are reporting to FEMA and local police incidents of just how crafty telemarketing scammers are becoming.

Misleading scammers are trying to manipulate disaster survivors into providing bank account routing numbers, social security numbers and other personal information.  Beware of representatives claiming to be associated with FEMA or the U.S. Small Business Association who try to coax you for additional information by telling you they already have your email address.

If you suspect someone is perpetrating fraud, call the FEMA Disaster Fraud Hotline at 1-866-720-5721. Complaints may also be made to local law enforcement agencies and to the Louisiana Office of the Attorney General at 1-800-351-4889 or online at www.ag.state.la.us.

Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status.  If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-FEMA (3362). For TTY call 800-462-7585.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.  Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/femaregion6, the R6 Hurricane Preparedness website at www.fema.gov/about/regions/regionvi/updates.shtm and the FEMA Blog at http://blog.fema.gov

SBA is the federal government’s primary source of funding for the long-term rebuilding of disaster-damaged private property. SBA helps homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes, and private non-profit organizations fund repairs or rebuilding efforts, and cover the cost of replacing lost or disaster-damaged personal property. These disaster loans cover uninsured and uncompensated losses and do not duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations. For information about SBA programs, applicants may call 800-659-2955 (TTY 800-877-8339).