FBI Keeping an Eye on Fraud in Northern California Fire Recovery

The FBI is joining efforts to prevent fraud related to Northern California wildfire recovery efforts.

Nearly two dozen blazes ripped through the region in mid-October, destroying 8,800 structures and 245,000 acres of land. The FBI announced Wednesday it’s created a task force with state and local agencies to investigate potential fraud in the relief efforts.

California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones announced on Wednesday that the total of insured losses from the wildfires in California in October now top $9.4 billion in residential and commercial claims.

The FBI’s San Francisco Division says the task force will utilize intelligence about fraud in other recent disasters, including hurricanes in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico earlier this year.

The Northern California wildfires were the deadliest in state history, killing 44 people.

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