Three federal agencies issued one warning as a hurricane approached
On 9 October 2024, with hurricanes making landfall, the FTC, the Justice Department and the CFPB issued a joint warning about disaster scams and price gouging. It names four categories — fake charities, government impersonators, bogus recovery businesses and price gouging — and its framing is unusual: the message is addressed to companies as much as to consumers.
- Year
- 2024
- Where
- United States
- Outcome
- Ongoing
- Victims
- Not stated in the sources
- Schemes
- Contractor and storm chaser scams, Charity and disaster scams, Government impersonation
- Last reviewed
- 2026-09-06
The facts, as recorded
- The joint warning was issued on 9 October 2024 by the Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Justice and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
- Four categories of harm are named: fake charities mimicking legitimate disaster relief organisations, imposters posing as government officials requesting personal information, bogus recovery businesses and investment schemes, and price gouging on essential goods and services.
- FTC Chair Lina M. Khan is quoted: "No American should have to worry about being ripped off when fleeing a hurricane."
- Justice Department Deputy Assistant Attorney General Manish Kumar is quoted: "Companies are on notice: do not use the hurricane as an excuse to exploit people."
- CFPB Director Rohit Chopra is quoted: "Price gouging during a natural disaster is just plain wrong."
- Consumers are directed to ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to consumerfinance.gov/complaint.
Why this case matters
Read the quotations carefully and you will notice who they are addressed to.
Companies are on notice: do not use the hurricane as an excuse to exploit people.
That is the Justice Department speaking to businesses, not to victims. The FTC’s line — “No American should have to worry about being ripped off when fleeing a hurricane” — is about people; the DOJ’s is a warning to the other side.
That split is the useful thing about this document, because disaster fraud genuinely has two halves. One is outright criminality: fake charities, people posing as FEMA officials, recovery businesses that do not exist. The other is not fraud at all in the ordinary sense — it is legitimate companies raising prices on essentials during an emergency, which is regulated separately in most states and is not a scam.
Both harm the same person in the same week. Only one of them is a crime everywhere.
The four categories
Fake charities mimicking legitimate disaster relief organisations. Covered on our charity and disaster page.
Government imposters posing as officials and requesting personal information. The FTC’s specific rule elsewhere is worth carrying: FEMA does not charge application fees, and anyone wanting money to help you qualify for FEMA funds is running a scam.
Bogus recovery businesses and investment schemes — the contractor and adjuster side, which is what this page is about.
Price gouging on essential goods and services.
Why the timing is the point
The warning went out on 9 October 2024, during a hurricane season, which is when it was needed and also when nobody in the affected area was reading press releases.
That is the structural problem with disaster fraud advice, and it is why the FTC’s separate preparedness alerts arrive in May and June — before the season, when there is still time to research a contractor, photograph your possessions and check an insurance policy.
By the time a roof is off, the useful window has closed. Every piece of advice that works has to have been taken earlier.
Sources
- FTC, DOJ and CFPB Warn Consumers About Potential Scams and Price Gouging in the Wake of Hurricanes and other Natural Disasters. US Federal Trade Commission. Accessed 2026-09-06. Supports: The 9 October 2024 joint warning, the three agencies, the four categories named, the quoted officials and their titles, and the reporting routes.
- How To Avoid Scams After Weather Emergencies and Natural Disasters. US Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Advice. Accessed 2026-09-06. Supports: The FTC's standing post-disaster guidance referenced by the joint warning.