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Officials are urging area residents to be wary of telephone scams and other fraud related to recovery efforts from the Tea Fire, or any wildfire.
Capt. Eli Iskow of the Santa Barbara County Fire Department said Friday he hasn’t heard of any Tea Fire scams yet, but added, “it happens after every fire.”
The fire, which destroyed 210 homes and charred 1,940 acres in the foothills above Montecito and Santa Barbara, was deemed fully contained Nov. 17.
After both the Zaca Fire, which burned 240,207 acres in Los Padres National Forest in summer 2007, and the Gap Fire, which burned more than 9,000 acres in the foothills and mountains above Goleta this summer, people solicited donations that they falsely claimed were for firefighters, Iskow said.
Government fire agencies do not actively seek donations, he said.
The Santa Barbara Firefighters Alliance is a private organization that raises money for the county and Santa Barbara city fire departments, Iskow said, but the organization does not make cold calls.
“If anyone identifies themselves as firefighters seeking donations, that’s almost for sure a scam,” he said.
State and federal officials are also encouraging residents of areas affected by wildfire to be alert for possible telephone scams and other fraud.
“It is imperative for residents of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and Santa Barbara counties to be wary of those who are trying to profit from this disaster,” said State Coordinating Officer Tom Maruyama in a statement. “We encourage all citizens to report suspicious behavior to police.”
To avoid being the victim of fraud, officials urge residents to ask for the identification of someone seeking donations. Inspectors with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), for example, wear photo ID badges at all times.
And, officials point out, never give bank account numbers or any other sensitive information to anyone over the phone.
December 1, 2008 Samantha Yale |
