The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is asking thousands of those who fell victim to Superstorm Sandy in 2012 to return improper payments after the storm.
After the storm hit the east coast almost two years ago FEMA immediately sent out emergency disaster aid to victims totaling $1.4 billion, according to The Associated Press.
Those asked to return money were not being fraudulent - rather they were overpaid - because FEMA sent money to multiple members living in the same household and to those who were actually ineligible because they were living in vacation houses or rental properties that were not their primary residences, AP reports.
FEMA has already asked hundreds of victims to pay up, and they are expected to ask at least 4,500, reports AP.
"For most people, the money is long gone and long ago spent on storm recovery," Ann Dibble, director of the New York Legal Assistance Group's storm response unit, which has been helping about a dozen families fight FEMA's request, tells AP.
Those who don't respond to FEMA's request may have their wages or social security garnished, reports AP.
