By TRACEY PORPORA and JOHN ANNESE

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - From people who collect disaster relief they don't actually need, to shady tow truck operators who illegally haul away storm-damaged vehicles, Hurricane Sandy has brought out some of the basest instincts of scammers looking to make a quick buck.

At Borough Hall, officials have taken to asking storm survivors for their ZIP codes before handing out clothing or other goods.

The NYPD announced it would set up a "special working group" to deal with storm-related thefts and fraud by tow-truck operators.

And last week, the borough's business community issued a public warning to homeowners with storm damage -- only use licensed contractors registered with the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs, or else you may fall victim to "scavengers."

'GOING SHOPPING'

Borough President James Molinaro said the new ZIP code check system has thwarted several people not affected by Sandy from loading up on supplies.

"We've had a tremendous amount of people (who aren't victims and want supplies). People were coming here (to the disaster relief centers) and going shopping every day," said Molinaro. "I saw people with cars outside coming back and forth, just loading their cars up. People were going through and picking out only clothing that had price tags in all different sizes at Miller Field."

Borough Hall workers aren't necessarily asking people for written proof of their ZIP codes, but it doesn't hurt to carry said proof with you, according to a Borough hall spokeswoman.

"What we're doing now is we are asking people for their ZIP code. If your ZIP is not in the flood zone, you are allowed to take something, but you can't take it out in cartons," Molinaro said. "For example, if you're not in the flood zone and you say you want toilet paper, they'll (volunteer organizations) give you a few rolls of toilet paper, but they won't give you the full 24 roll pack."

He added, "This is for two reasons: One, to give you something and two, it discourages you from coming back."

Still, some say, the scammers have already gotten away with plenty. Tanya Zajac, who lives in the Heartland Village section of New Springville and volunteered at the FEMA disaster relief center at Miller Field in the days after the storm, said people were "shopping there like they we're in Macy's."

"There was one woman who was only looking for clothing in a particular size with tags. She had her hair all done and she didn't look like she was a victim of the storm," said Ms. Zajac.

SHADY TOW-TRUCK OPERATORS

Hurricane victims may also face a different type of scam -- tow-truck operators hauling off storm-damaged cars without their owners' permission.

NYPD officials warned of the practice in a post-storm e-mail dispatch last week, saying that police have arrested some tow truck operators for larceny.

Those arrests have all taken place in Queens so far, an NYPD spokeswoman said last week.

The NYPD's "special working group" was looking into reports that tow truck drivers have been spiriting vehicles away from storm-ravaged areas to private auto pound lots, then charging the owners of those cars between $1,000 and $2,300 to retrieve them, police said.

Police officials also warned potential used-car buyers to watch out for unscrupulous sellers trying to refurbish and peddle flood-totaled cars that should have been scrapped instead of put back on the market.

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