DFS Consumer Notice to Holocaust Survivors
Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that the New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) has issued a consumer notice to warn Holocaust survivors and their families about potential fraud. The notice follows unsolicited fraudulent correspondence sent to Holocaust survivors and their families by an entity referring to itself as the “Jewish Holocaust Claims Center” or “JHCC” and that urges recipients to submit claims for compensation. After DFS was unable to verify the identity, services, or legitimacy of the entity, the Department 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,” Governor 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, “The Department is committed to ensuring that Holocaust survivors and their families can pursue restitution without fear. DFS will continue working with our government and community partners to protect survivors, provide trusted assistance, and help families recover assets that were wrongfully taken from them.”
After learning of the unsolicited correspondence, DFS issued a consumer notice urging Holocaust survivors and their families to exercise caution when contacted about potential eligibility for compensation or restitution and to independently verify any such outreach before providing personal or financial information. The Department has worked with consumers, advocacy organizations, and local government officials to distribute the alert and ensure potentially impacted individuals have access to trusted information and assistance.
DFS’s Holocaust Claims Processing Office (HCPO) was created in 1997 to help Holocaust victims and their heirs 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.
Since its inception, the HCPO has responded to thousands of inquiries and received claims from all 50 U.S. states and 53 countries. To date, the HCPO has helped return over $184 million in assets to victims’ families while also recovering 356 cultural objects.
Holocaust survivors and their families who believe they may be eligible for compensation or restitution, or who want to verify a communication came from or is affiliated with the HCPO, should contact the New York State Holocaust Claims Processing Office at (800) 695-3318 or [email protected].
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