FEMA Shared Banking Information of 2.3 Million Disaster Victims
The Federal Emergency Management Agency exposed 2.3 million disaster survivors to increased risk of identity theft and fraud by sharing their personal data, including banking information, with a displacement contractor, the Office of Inspector General said, which FEMA acknowledged Friday.…
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FEMA shared information it wasn't required to disclose, including electronic funds transfer and bank transit numbers of victims of hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, and the 2017 California wildfires. FEMA violated the 1974 Privacy Act and Department of Homeland Security policy, the report said. There’s no evidence to suggest data was misused, and the contractor is cooperating to remove the unnecessary data, FEMA said Friday.