MINNEAPOLIS -- The Federal Emergency Management Agency is reminding the public about its program that reimburses funeral expenses when someone dies of COVID-19. The program, launched this spring, provides up to $9,000 dollars in reimbursements for families who have paid for a funeral.

So far, Minnesota applicants have received more than $13 million dollars to help with expenses. To qualify, the person must have died on American soil.

Veronica Verde, external affairs officer for FEMA Region 9, said applicants must prove the loved one died after Jan. 20, 2020, with COVID-19 as the likely cause of death.

"You must provide a copy of the death certificate, proof of funeral expenses incurred, and proof of funeral assistance received from any other source," Verde explained.

She noted they are also trying to get ahead of scammers taking advantage of grieving families. To prevent fraud, you have to apply over the phone, not online. You will also have to give the Social Security number and date of birth, for yourself and the person who died. More information is on FEMA's COVID funeral assistance website. To apply, call 844-684-6333.

FEMA said scammers have been checking obituaries and cold-calling relatives of people who died of COVID, offering to complete the registration process for them. If you are contacted out of the blue, Verde advised hanging up and calling FEMA directly.

"FEMA will not contact you until you call or apply for assistance," Verde pointed out. "FEMA is not going to ask you to pay anything to get this benefit. So please do not give out any information about yourself or your loved ones or anyone who might contact you."

You can report a scammer to FEMA or to the Federal Trade Commission at 'ReportFraud.ftc.gov. There is no current deadline for the reimbursement program.

PHOENIX -- A new report shows, despite getting billions of dollars from the federal government under the American Rescue Plan, many airlines continue to interrupt travelers' plans with cancellations and are slow to issue refunds.

When the pandemic hit in early 2020, air travel in the U.S. and across the world almost completely stopped. But in recent months, as the airlines begin to add flights, customers are complaining of multiple canceled and delayed flights, denied refunds and customer service failures.

Diane Brown, executive director of the Arizona Public Interest Research Group, which issued the report, called it outrageous the airlines took taxpayer funds but refuse to deal fairly with their customers.

"The airline industry has been short-staffed, and that has caused consumers to have flight cancellations that often have a rippling effect," Brown explained.

Airlines have said their industry was gut-punched by the pandemic, and they are working to get back on track. They blamed air traffic control, inclement weather, computer outages and a lack of available flight crews for stranding or delaying travelers.

And consumers have not been shy about telling the U.S. Department of Transportation just how unhappy they are. Between February 2020 and August 2021, Brown noted the number of complaints about airline service increased 460%. And refunds have been hard to come by.

"Consumers often prefer to just get their money back, to save it for another trip versus having to use the funds by a certain period of time," Brown pointed out.

Brown added travelers need to know their rights and alternatives.

"Consumers do have options when it comes to which airline they choose, which airport they may lay over in, and their ability to contact policymakers and urge better protection," Brown emphasized.

BISMARCK, N.D. -- Over the coming weeks, North Dakotans will be clicking the "purchase" button as they order holiday gifts online, and fraud experts say scammers are finding ways to exploit consumers.

Amy Nofziger, director of fraud victim support for AARP, urged the public to avoid abrupt transactions done with little research, adding fake social-media ads are a big concern this year.

She said as people quickly scroll through online ads, they might not do enough vetting to make sure the company behind a post is real. She added supply chain issues could prompt people to bypass trusted companies through internet searches.

"And they're finding these websites that look legitimate, but they're not," Nofziger observed. "Take the name of the company, put it in a search engine, and do your research. "

When entering the unknown company's name, she suggested typing the words review, scam and complaints to see what pops up. Another common scam right now is getting a message disguised as a warning from well-known delivery companies, indicating something went wrong with a shipment to your address. Experts pointed out the messages often include harmful links.

Parrell Grossman, director of the consumer protection and antitrust division for the North Dakota Attorney General's Office, said they continue to field calls for a variety of scams, including online romance situations where someone loses their money to the person they connected with.

He worries people might be more vulnerable to those scenarios right now.

"When you're lonely at the holidays, it might be the time you decide to engage with someone over the internet," Grossman remarked. "And they can be very convincing, and they will have a myriad of reasons why they need money."

Nofziger emphasized you should never feel ashamed about falling victim to a scam, and taking immediate action is the best approach.

"These are good criminals that are targeting you to steal your money," Nofziger cautioned. "You should be mad, you should be empowered to report it."

CONCORD, N.H. -- With the holiday shopping season under way, experts are urging Granite Staters to watch out for scammers. A survey from AARP found many plans for holiday shopping this year may incur some risk.

Seth Boffeli, fraud prevention advisor for the AARP Fraud Watch Network, said there are steps folks can take to make sure they are shopping from reputable sources. He advised it is important to use trusted vendors and stores, and he added red flags may include having something in stock which is sold out everywhere else, or having a sale for more than 55% off.

"We can't really get rid of scammers, but what we can do is make sure that we're all practicing safe shopping practices during the holidays to keep ourselves protected," Boffeli explained.

The survey found 3 of 4 Americans have experienced some kind of fraud in the past, and nearly 40% received requests from charities that felt fake or fraudulent.

Sunny Mulligan Shea, victim advocate for elder abuse and exploitation for the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office, said it's important to keep your personal information close.

"Be leery, think twice, don't give out any personal information over the phone, or online, unless you have initiated the call, and you know exactly who you're giving this information to," Shea counseled.

She recommended watching out for fraudulent gift cards as well, and not buying them from third parties. And she pointed out credit cards can sometimes be safer from scams than debit cards, since they are not directly linked to your bank account.

Tom Donovan, director of charitable trusts for the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office, noted the holiday season is also a time when many people give to charity, and scammers sometimes take advantage. He emphasized it is key to make sure you know exactly where your donations are going.

"There are lookalike names that some scammers use that sound like or look like well-known charities," Donovan stressed. "Go to the website and make sure you've got the name of the charity correct. Do people report online that this particular charity is a scam or there are a lot of complaints about it?"