Socure, an AI-first provider of identity verification and fraud prevention technology, has released new research revealing how disaster relief efforts following the July 2025 floods in Central Texas were rapidly exploited by organised fraud networks.
Its report, Exploiting Disaster: Identity Fraud Spikes After Texas Floods, analysed fraud activity before and after the July 4 Kerr County floods. The findings show that nearly 29% of fraud attempts targeted government assistance programmes, with attacks surging immediately after public announcements from FEMA and the Small Business Administration.
The research found that domestic fraudsters struck first, followed quickly by international networks linked to China, Morocco, and other regions. Around 30% of international fraud was attributed to Chinese identity farms. Kerr County residents were 3.5 times more likely to face identity fraud after the floods than before.
Mike Cook, head of fraud insights at Socure said, “This research shows that fraudsters don’t wait for recovery efforts to begin—they activate immediately. Sophisticated fraud rings lie in wait with pre-built fake identities, ready to exploit moments of crisis – waiting for an early weather report, for example – ready to hit. As a former Texas flood survivor myself, I hope this research helps agencies and organizations better protect relief funds when speed and accuracy matter most.”
Rivka Gewirtz Little, chief growth officer at Socure said, “These fraud surges offer a clear view into the broader scam economy.
“When fraud syndicates go after disaster aid, they deliberately strike across sectors—establishing money movement and financial services accounts to build scam infrastructure, then hit giving services to capture relief funds. We need a view of identity that spans the entire ecosystem. Our identity graph provides government agencies and financial institutions with the real-time intelligence required to stop fraud at scale and ensure aid reaches the people who truly need it.”
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