Thieves Target California Firefighter — Then Came The Scammers

SANTA CRUZ, CA — Looters and scammers are proving to be as merciless as the flames ravaging Northern California.

Hours after a Santa Cruz Fire ground commander battling the CZU Lightning Complex Fire discovered thieves had broken into his truck, stolen his wallet and drained his bank account, scammers appear to have created a fake fundraiser in his name. In between constant alerts and evacuation orders, Cal Fire issued a warning Sunday asking folks to be leery of a GoFundMe page purporting to raise money for the commander.

The incidents are demoralizing for a firefighting force stretched thin and battling exhaustion along with 1.3 million acres of fire.

“It’s unfortunate. It’s sickening that one of our fire ground commanders, while out taking care of business and directing firefighting crews, somebody entered his department vehicle and stole his wallet and drained his bank account,” a Cal Fire official said in a briefing Sunday.

Hours later, Cal Fire tweeted a warning: “A GoFundMe account is circulating, purporting to be established in support of the CAL FIRE employee whose personal belongings were stolen recently. This account is not associated with CAL FIRE, or anyone connected to the department. Please use caution if donating.”

Looting quickly proved to be a problem, as more than 100,000 people were forced to flee their homes across Northern California this week. And, typically, scam charities are quick to pop up surrounding natural disasters to take advantage of the community’s generous spirit.

For those who want to help victims of the wildfires, financial donations are needed, and legitimate funds have already been set up to help the Northern California wildfire victims.

Among legitimate charities helping the victims are the The Solano Disaster Relief Fund, The Napa Valley Community Foundation, and the American Red Cross.