First they were displaced by B.C. wildfires, now fraudsters may be trying to claim their cash

First, British Columbians were displaced by wildfires.

Now, the Red Cross is confronting allegations that fraudsters are trying to claim moneys that were set aside for evacuees last summer.

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“It’s unfortunate, there will always be individuals who do try and take advantage of the system,” Elysia Dempsey, Red Cross director of B.C. wildfire recovery operations, told Global News.

“That’s why we do have mechanisms in place to ensure that they’re not able to access assistance.”

Numerous Williams Lake residents — including Mayor Walt Cobb — have alleged that people are using their addresses to access Red Cross funds that were meant for people who were displaced from their homes amid massive wildfires that blanketed the Interior.

READ MORE: B.C. wildfire evacuee says scammers used his address to claim relief funds

Williams Lake resident Nick Sardy said the Red Cross contacted him because as many as 20 people provided his address — even though he didn’t host anyone at his home during the fires.

Cobb told a similar story.

“I said, well how can that happen?” he told Global News.

“Because if you use my address I would get the cheque in the mail, and they say, no no no, we do it all by e-transfer.

“And I said to them, that’s your first mistake.”

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A Clinton resident also told Global News that the Red Cross contacted her, saying that five people had made claims for Red Cross money under her home address.

The Red Cross had offered $600 payments to displaced families, with another $600 going to households that couldn’t return home for more than two weeks.

A further $300 was promised to households when they came home.

READ MORE: Man celebrating end of Williams Lake evacuation with fireworks fined $1,000

The Red Cross has not confirmed whether the fraud has taken place, nor how it could have happened.

B.C. Solicitor General Mike Farnworth told Global News that he hoped the alleged frauds were “isolated incidences.”

He said the provincial government is working with the Red Cross to investigate.

“People should have confidence that when they donate to the Red Cross, or when government provides funds to people in terms of disaster relief, that it’s going to people that truly need it and not individuals trying to scam the system,” Farnworth said.