Image courtesy of CBS Los Angeles
CBS Los Angeles' "On Your Side" segment, reported by Kristine Lazar, looked at how scammers are targeting Los Angeles wildfire survivors as they apply for state and federal disaster relief. The report follows Pacific Palisades resident Kim Chase, who lost her home and discovered someone had already used her identity to file a FEMA application before she could apply herself. Arkose Labs COO Frank Teruel explains how fraudsters scrape survivors' personal data from breaches and the dark web, then use AI to build synthetic profiles and submit thousands of automated relief applications per hour. Some experts estimate roughly 20% of the aid meant for fire victims could end up stolen. Teruel recommends survivors freeze their credit with all three bureaus, stay alert for phishing attempts, and apply directly through government agencies rather than third-party sites.
