Man poses as FEMA agent to allegedly steal money from flood victims

Cowboys work to rescue a herd of cattle from a flooded field as the Brazos River overflows its banks Saturday, June 4, 2016 near Chenango. Cowboys work to rescue a herd of cattle from a flooded field as the Brazos River overflows its banks Saturday, June 4, 2016 near Chenango. Photo: Michael Ciaglo, Houston Chronicle Photo: Michael Ciaglo, Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 119 Caption Close Man poses as FEMA agent to allegedly steal money from flood victims 1 / 119 Back to Gallery

Already on the lookout for disaster scams linked to flooding over the last two months, Houston police have arrested an imposter FEMA agent accused of bilking at least three victims out of thousands of dollars.

Derron L. Skinner, 25, of Chicago was charged with one count of forgery on Tuesday.

Houston Police Department Lt. Chris Lohse said on Friday that Skinner was targeting people in the Near Northside area adjacent to downtown while wearing Federal Emergency Management Agency attire.

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Skinner allegedly recovered $3,000 to $5,000 from the scam.

"Last week, we identified a number of cases whereby a suspect who was posing as a FEMA representative was essentially soliciting business and approaching flood victims letting them know that he could expedite and make their claims more lucrative," said Lohse, who works in HPD's financial crimes unit.

Skinner allegedly provided flood victims with fraudulent FEMA checks that they would deposit into their personal bank accounts. He would then spin a narrative that he needed cash back to secure inspections and other fee-based services to complete their claims faster. The three incidents HPD has identified included about 20 checks and all had extensive damage to their vehicles.

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"These checks were counterfeit ... from compromised personal and commercial accounts across the country," Lohse said. "Once those checks were deposited, they withdrew their own personal monies and, of course, they were out the cash and bank fees."

HPD officials believe that there may be more people who have been scammed because Skinner's services were being advertised in the community by word of mouth.

It's important for disaster claimants to know that FEMA registration for disaster assistance is accomplished only by telephone or online at FEMA.gov – but never in person.

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"A check will never be hand-delivered by a FEMA representative," Lohse said. "FEMA disaster assistance funds are electronically deposited into a bank account and/or a check is mailed to an address. FEMA will never ask for money to receive money."

Investigators believe that Skinner or other scammers have targeted more people. Anyone with information on Skinner or similar cases are urged to contact HPD's Financial Crimes Unit at 713-308-2500 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS (8477).

Lohse also warned about charity crimes and unscrupulous contractor scams related to flooding in April and May.

Acting HPD Chief Martha Montalvo and the captain of the burglary and theft division had asked the financial crimes unit to closely monitor "for incidents where victims had been re-victimized by theft, fraud or deception," Lohse said.

"Rising floodwaters bring out all kinds of filthy creatures. Included among them are criminals who use disasters as an opportunity to prey on victims whose lives have already been devastated by recent floods," Lohse said. "Anytime these crooks can use a tragedy ... they're going to do that because people are vulnerable."

Skinner, who has no local address listed in Harris County District Clerk records, also was charged on Thursday with unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. He made a $5,000 bail on the forgery charge and also been released from the Harris County Jail on $50,000 bail following the gun arrest. He is scheduled for court appearances on Monday related to both

charges.