An Evacuation Scam: People Taking Advantage of the California Wildfires

Now, there are a lot of dirty, scheming people in the world. The lowlifes who prey on the weak, innocent, and naïve as if it were some game. It's sad but it always happens when tragedy hits or a disaster occurs. Well, once again it has happened. With the onslaught of the Southern California fires, a few of which are turning out to be arson (which is so sad in itself), a man has been pulling an evacuation scam.

It's so sick to me to think about. Apparently, a man walked from door to door for two days in Temecula dressed in an orange disaster relief vest informing residents they needed to evacuate because of the fires. Who knows how many people actually did pack up their photos and insurance documents and such and leave their houses filled with flat screens, jewelry and electronics. Who knows how many people will return to their homes to find them burglarized. I hope no one does. I hope the authorities find this man. I hope he doesn't get away with anything like this ever again. It's so disgusting. Here we are in a disastrous situation and people are taking advantage of it. Thousands of families have lost their homes and here is a man trying to rob them blind. It's pathetic. There's no other word for it.

I tend to think that the arsonist in this area and the scam artist are connected. There were three small fires in the Temecula area within the same day. The police chief declared that they were caused by arson and a man was arrested and detained within a day after this declaration. The scam artist started canvassing the area the same morning the fires started. There had been a fire going in San Diego County (the Fallbrook fire) that was starting to creep into Riverside County but it was not yet threatening homes. It was perfect timing. Start a couple fires to cause some fear amongst those who already have the potential threat well engraved in their minds, then send another person out to evacuate them. I wonder how many other people were involved. You know, the ones who would do the actual burglarizing. Or perhaps it was jus the two of them. Then again maybe they weren't connected at all. But I doubt it. It's all too convenient.

In times like these I think that criminals should be punished even more. They should have a double punishment of sorts just like how traffic fines are doubled in work areas, well, criminal prosecution should be doubled in times of emergencies.