‘Lowest of lows’: US Holocaust survivors targeted in fake restitution scam

New York Governor Kathy Hochul warned Holocaust survivors and their families on Wednesday about potential restitution-related fraud.

This follows an alert by the New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) regarding correspondence issued by an entity referring to itself as the “Jewish Holocaust Claims Center” or “JHCC,” urging individuals to contact them to submit a claim for compensation.

DFS said it cannot verify the identity, services, or legitimacy of the entity calling itself the JHCC, and encouraged Holocaust survivors and their families to exercise caution when contacted regarding potential eligibility for compensation or restitution.

DFS has referred the scam to the appropriate law enforcement authorities, and reported the entity’s website to its hosting provider. The fraudulent website has since been removed.

“Scamming and stealing from Holocaust survivors and their families is the lowest of lows,” Hochul said.

“This program delivers justice to Holocaust survivors who’ve suffered through the unspeakable, and I’m committed to ensuring New York State protects survivors and their families, and provides the assistance and assets these New Yorkers deserve.”

DFS Acting Superintendent Kaitlin Asrow said her department is committed to ensuring that Holocaust survivors and their families can pursue restitution without fear, and that it will keep working to protect survivors and help families recover assets that were wrongfully taken from them.

DFS’s Holocaust Claims Processing Office (HCPO) was created in 1997 to help Holocaust victims and their descendants recover assets deposited in banks; unpaid proceeds of insurance policies issued by European insurers; and artworks that were lost, looted, or sold under duress. The HCPO does not charge claimants for its services.

Claims Conference cautions Holocaust survivors over unsolicited claims

The Claims Conference also warned against the scam, and encouraged Holocaust survivors and their families to always exercise caution when receiving unsolicited communications concerning compensation, restitution, or Holocaust-related claims.

“The Claims Conference is not affiliated with this organization, has not authorized these communications, and is not involved in sending or administering these letters. This letter is not legitimate. We are not familiar with this organization and cannot verify its identity, services, representations, or legitimacy.”

It recommended that individuals do not provide personal, financial, identification, banking, family history, or other sensitive information to an organization or individual whose identity and legitimacy they have not independently verified.

The Claims Conference stressed that it does not charge survivors or their families a fee to apply for compensation programs, and it does not require applicants to retain a lawyer or other paid intermediary to apply for benefits administered by the Claims Conference.

Targeting families in Atlanta

The fraudulent JHCC also reached out to several families in Atlanta. One recipient, Gary Alleman, shared the letter with a local Atlanta media site.

The letter, sent by alleged JHCC Regional Officer Coordinator Lisa Shakespeare, claims that it has “records [that] indicate that your family name has been identified among those potentially eligible for compensation.”

It attaches a mailing address in Vancouver, as well as a telephone number, email, fax, and reference number. The Jerusalem Post checked the address and found it to be the physical address of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Vancouver. There were no returns on individuals named Lisa Shakespeare.

Multiple individuals have since posted on social media that their parents received the same letter, with the same text.

Stacy Hydrick, director of the Antisemitism Response Network at Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, said, “The Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta is aware of these communications and is working with the Georgia Commission on the Holocaust to ensure community members have accurate information.”

“We encourage anyone who receives suspicious communication regarding Holocaust reparations not to provide personal information and to verify its legitimacy through trusted sources.”

This is not the first Holocaust restitution-related scam to occur in the US.

In 2013, the US Department of Justice uncovered a decade-long scheme involving employees of the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany and outside recruiters. These parties stole more than $57 million from compensation programs intended for Holocaust survivors by submitting thousands of fraudulent applications to the Claims Conference’s Hardship Fund and Article 2 Fund. In total, 31 people were charged in connection with this scheme, including 10 former Claims Conference employees.