Columbia, SC (WOLO) — It’s been a week since hurricane Helene blew through the much of the east coast, including the Palmetto State. During the height of the storm with winds upwards of 140 miles per hour significant damage was left behind. Not only did roads flood, and trees were uprooted, some of those trees landed on houses doing damage. In other cases, trees snapped like twigs bringing down power lines knocking out electricity to more that a million households statewide. With so much destruction, many South Carolinians are still trying to recover and gain some sense of normalcy. While The Federal Emergency Management Assistance, (FEMA) is now accessing damage in order to aid victims of the storm, the agency is sending out a warning so people won’t become a victim a second time. Emergency officials say it is common for scam artists to try to prey of people in vulnerable positions, usually after a disaster. FEMA urges people to be alert to the possibility of con artists and criminals who may try steal your money or personal information through fraud and or identity theft. FEMA says they will never ask for or accept money for their services which are completely free of charge. Agency officials ask anyone who feels they may have fallen victim to a scam to immediately contact their local police department to report the incident. They also suggest you contact the South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs toll-free (with SC number) at 844-835-5322. Categories: Local News, News, State