Jennifer Kerr of the Associated Press writes, ‘Social Security cards, driver’s licenses, credit cards and other personal documents are literally floating around New Orleans, raising the prospect some hurricane survivors could be victimized again — this time by identity thieves.

“This is probably not the most immediate concern that people have, but at a certain point they need to stop and take stock of their financial health”, Broder said Tuesday.

The FBI also warned people wanting to donate money for Katrina survivors to beware of scammers who solicit online donations to lure victims into giving up credit card numbers and other sensitive information.

“There are people out there who are willing to stoop so low as to scam people who are willing to open their hearts and wallets to people in need,” said FBI spokesman Paul Bresson.

He said the bureau has identified about 2 000 Web sites related to the Katrina relief effort. Most are legitimate, Bresson said, but the FBI is investigating about a dozen for possible fraud.’