FBI seeks info on fraud in Gulf oil spill

WASHINGTON, May 4 (UPI) -- The FBI is asking the public's help in exposing fraudulent environmental fundraising schemes related to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Other fraudulent schemes could include false insurance claims for property damage or suspect firms that claim to offer remediation services for oil spills, the FBI said in a release Tuesday.

Tips can be reported 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to live operators at the National Center for Disaster Fraud at (866) 720-5721. E-mails can be sent to [email protected] and faxes sent to (225) 334-4707.

The center was created by the U.S. Department of Justice after Hurricane Katrina, when billions of dollars in federal disaster relief were earmarked for the Gulf Coast region.

The center disseminates information on disaster relief fraud to more than 20 federal agencies, the FBI said.