MARLIN, Texas (KXXV) — "It's sad because you don't know who to trust,” said Marlin resident, Martha Welch.
Last week, 25 News told you how Marlin city leaders warned our community of a recent scam where people are pretending to represent FEMA.
Shortly after that, a Marlin resident reached out to and shared how she almost became victim to one of these scams.
"When he knocked I heard him and went out there and I asked him how could I help him, and he said he was with FEMA disaster, and that there was a group of them taking pictures around the neighborhood," Welch said.
The man can be seen in a video walking up to the home asking Welch a series of questions.
"He wanted to go in my backyard — I wouldn't let him go in my backyard, I told him, 'Sir, we don't need that assistance'," she said.
That's not where things ended for this Marlin homeowner.
"I noticed that when I first opened the door he had his camera and he was taking pictures, not my face, but he was snapping pictures of my body — it was kind of weird,” Welch said.
This is one of many reported incidents that have occurred in the city of Marlin — during Tuesday’s city council meeting, city leaders confirmed that it was an ongoing issue.
Last week, 25 News spoke to FEMA, who said that they will never ask for money or personal information, and more importantly, they will never show up unidentified.
"I asked him if he had a card or anything to show that he's with FEMA, and he said 'No, I don't have anything like that' — he really couldn't answer any questions about FEMA and what they do or how do they help,” Welch said.
25 News reached out to the Marlin Police Department to find out how these situations are currently being handled, but we have not yet heard back.
If you have any knowledge of fraud or scams, you can report it to FEMA's Disaster Relief Hotline at 866-720-5721.
