New York Gov. Kathy Hochul issued a consumer alert warning that a fraudulent entity calling itself the “Jewish Holocaust Claims Center” has been targeting Holocaust survivors and their families with bogus restitution offers.
The New York State Department of Financial Services stated that it could not verify the group’s identity, services, or legitimacy and referred the matter to law enforcement, Hochul’s office announced. The department also reported the group’s website to its hosting provider, which subsequently removed it, and referred the matter to the inspectors general of New York, New Jersey and the U.S. Postal Service.
“Scamming and stealing from Holocaust survivors and their families is the lowest of the lows,” Hochul said in a statement from her office, pledging to ensure survivors receive the assistance and assets to which they are entitled.
Kaitlin Asrow, acting superintendent of the department, urged survivors and their families to independently verify unsolicited offers before providing personal or financial information. The scam involved “unsolicited fraudulent correspondence” by the entity, which used the abbreviation JHCC, according to Hochul’s statement.
The department’s Holocaust Claims Processing Office, established in 1997, assists Holocaust victims and their heirs in recovering assets, including bank accounts, insurance proceeds, and cultural property. The office does not charge claimants for its services and has helped return more than $184 million in assets to victims’ families and recover 356 cultural objects.
The fraudulent group solicited survivors and their families to submit claims for compensation, state officials said. It wasn’t immediately clear how many people may have been contacted or whether any had submitted personal information or payments to the entity.
The scam represents a particularly cruel exploitation of a vulnerable population that has already endured systematic persecution and loss. Holocaust survivors, now overwhelmingly elderly, have been targeted by various fraud schemes over the years due to their advanced age and the complex nature of legitimate restitution processes.
In the viral moment that prompted state action, the “Jewish Holocaust Claims Center” reached out to survivors and their descendants with promises of compensation, using a name designed to sound like an official restitution body. The entity’s website was taken down after the Department of Financial Services reported it to the hosting provider, cutting off one avenue for the operation.
The legitimate Holocaust Claims Processing Office operates as a free service under the Department of Financial Services, helping navigate the often complicated process of recovering assets looted during the Nazi era. Its no-fee structure stands in contrast to the many private companies that have historically charged survivors percentages of recovered assets.
State officials emphasized that survivors should be wary of any unsolicited contact regarding Holocaust restitution and should verify the legitimacy of organizations through official channels before sharing any personal documentation. The involvement of multiple inspectors general suggests authorities are treating the matter with significant seriousness and coordinating across jurisdictions.
Hochul’s office continues to monitor the situation as law enforcement investigates the origins and scope of the fraudulent operation.