BATON ROUGE – The Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness and FEMA are urging residents affected by the recent flooding to not provide personal information to scam artists.

Both agencies are aware that there are scam artists posing as FEMA inspectors and have contacted flood victims asking for personal information such as back account information and Social Security numbers. Officials urge residents not to respond to texts, phone calls, or requests seeking personal information.

The only time survivors should provide personal information is during the initial application process for FEMA help or when they initiate contact with FEMA to follow up on an application.

Residents can report any suspicions of fraud by calling the Louisiana Attorney General's Consumer Protection hotline at 800-351-4889 or local law enforcement immediately.