Clinton Griffiths
KWCH 12 Eyewitness News
Monday, September 19, 2005
It's one of the first fraud cases of its kind in the country. A Kansas woman is arrested, accused of claiming to be a Hurricane Katrina victim and getting hundreds of dollars from the Red Cross.
Police say 35 year-old Shawnna Nicole Davidson defrauded the Red Cross out of more than 600 dollars. Now she's been charged with 2 counts of false information and two counts of theft. Police say, Davidson told red cross workers in Salina she was a hurricane evacuee earlier this month. They gave her almost 200 dollars. Four days later she picked up a Red Cross debit card worth nearly 500 dollars. And just days after that September 12, police say Davidson claimed her card was stolen and asked for a replacement. The Red Cross told her to file a police report. Police say, that's when they discovered she didn't live in New Orleans during the hurricane.
"This is an operation where there are literally hundreds of thousands of people who are in need and we are out there doing this every single day. So when you look at that amount of people who need assistance you have to realize that there is going to be some amount of fraud," says Vicktoria Degan of the Red Cross of North Central Kansas.
The Red Cross has implemented an internet data base. It lets them make sure the same people aren't getting help from more than one Red Cross across the nation. They can also cancel debit cards at any time if fraud is suspected.
KWCH 12 Eyewitness News
Monday, September 19, 2005
It's one of the first fraud cases of its kind in the country. A Kansas woman is arrested, accused of claiming to be a Hurricane Katrina victim and getting hundreds of dollars from the Red Cross.
Police say 35 year-old Shawnna Nicole Davidson defrauded the Red Cross out of more than 600 dollars. Now she's been charged with 2 counts of false information and two counts of theft. Police say, Davidson told red cross workers in Salina she was a hurricane evacuee earlier this month. They gave her almost 200 dollars. Four days later she picked up a Red Cross debit card worth nearly 500 dollars. And just days after that September 12, police say Davidson claimed her card was stolen and asked for a replacement. The Red Cross told her to file a police report. Police say, that's when they discovered she didn't live in New Orleans during the hurricane.
"This is an operation where there are literally hundreds of thousands of people who are in need and we are out there doing this every single day. So when you look at that amount of people who need assistance you have to realize that there is going to be some amount of fraud," says Vicktoria Degan of the Red Cross of North Central Kansas.
The Red Cross has implemented an internet data base. It lets them make sure the same people aren't getting help from more than one Red Cross across the nation. They can also cancel debit cards at any time if fraud is suspected.
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