03:55 PM CDT on Tuesday, September 6, 2005

Jennifer C. Kerr / Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP): Social Security cards, driver's licenses, credit cards and other personal documents are literally floating around New Orleans, raising the prospect some hurricane survivors could be victimized again -- this time by identity thieves.

Betsy Broder, the attorney who oversees the Federal Trade Commission's identity theft program, said the agency has not received any complaints yet. However, it's still early after the disaster and people have been focusing on more pressing needs, such as shelter, food and medicine.

"This is probably not the most immediate concern that people have, but at a certain point they need to stop and take stock of their financial health," Broder said Tuesday.

As survivors begin to rebuild their lives, she said, they can take steps to avoid becoming the victims of identity scammers.

Broder said survivors giving personal data to insurance adjustors or Federal Emergency Management Agency representatives should be certain they're dealing with legitimate individuals and "not crooks who are trying to trick them out of their information so they can commit identity theft."

Once victims are able to get access to phones, Internet and mail, they should check their credit card and bank statements to see if there's been any unusual activity.

They can also obtain their credit report, for free, to make certain no one has accessed their accounts. Under federal law, consumers can request a free credit report each year from any of the three major credit bureaus -- Equifax Inc., Experian Information Solutions and TransUnion.

The FBI also warned people wanting to donate money for Katrina survivors to beware of scammers who solicit online donations to lure victims into giving up credit card numbers and other sensitive information.

"There are people out there who are willing to stoop so low as to scam people who are willing to open their hearts and wallets to people in need," said FBI spokesman Paul Bresson.

He said the bureau has identified about 2,000 Web sites related to the Katrina relief effort. Most are legitimate, Bresson said, but the FBI is investigating about a dozen for possible fraud.

The Better Business Bureau advised Americans who want to give to seek out familiar charities such as the American Red Cross and The Salvation Army.

"In a disaster like this, you must give to well-known organizations that have a track record for providing this type of relief," said Art Taylor, president of the BBB's Wise Giving Alliance. Besides concerns about phony groups, he said, "it's impossible for a newly established organization to get to these victims at this time."

People who think their personal information has been misused should contact the local police, the FTC's Broder said. They can also contact the FTC on the Web at www.consumer.gov/idtheft or by phone at 877-IDTHEFT.

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On the Net: Federal Trade Commission: http://www.ftc.gov & Better Business Bureau: http://www.bbb.org

(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)