A family that lost everything to the Palisades Fire has been victimized – this time by a fraudster who filed a FEMA claim on their property after stealing their identity.
Stefan and Judy Zweig are navigating the loss of their Pacific Palisades home following the fire. It’s where they say they raised their children and where they wanted to spend the rest of their lives.
“It was perfect for us, it was perfect,” Stefan said.
Amid their loss, Stefan, who is a doctor and USC professor, went to apply for disaster relief this week but was given the unsettling news that his identity was stolen. The individual or group behind the theft filed for disaster assistance already under his name.
“The man actually said to me, ‘I had five fraud cases yesterday,’” Judy said. “And if one agent had five cases in one day, that means that this is a problem that FEMA needs to address.”
Until an investigation into the fraud is complete, the Zweig family is not able to receive assistance from the agency.
NBC4 has reached out to FEMA regarding fraud cases. The organization has not returned our request for comment.