Southern California residents warned of earthquake fraud

California state officials are warning people in the region about scammers who use people's fear of an earthquake.

Фото: Depositphotos

The state is on high alert after two major earthquakes hit Southern California last week, destroying part of the 178 highway between Ridgecrest and Throne. In addition to hundreds of aftershocks, the likelihood of stronger shocks remains in the near future, writes LA Times.

The fraudsters decided to take advantage of the situation, and Orange County officials warn residents of schemes designed to convince people to leave their homes, after which the attackers rob the building.

Aliso Viejo officials told 8 of July fraud, on Sunday evening, residents of Aliso Viejo reported four such calls. They were called and informed that an earthquake of 8,4 magnitude would occur and that they should immediately leave their homes.

On the subject: Destroyed after earthquakes, roads became a landmark in California. A PHOTO. VIDEO

Dispatchers advised callers that there was no warning system in Orange County to alert them to an earthquake and that it was likely a scam, said Carrie Brown, public information officer for the sheriff's department.

Brown clarified that they have not yet determined the motives of the callers, and also added that no new calls have been received since Sunday.

The Los Angeles and Kern Sheriffs Departments said that as of July 9, they had not received any suspicious call reports.

Orange County officials are asking anyone who received a suspicious call to report it to the local law enforcement agency for emergency numbers.

On the subject: What happens if strong earthquakes hit Los Angeles and San Francisco

The city of Aliso Viejo also asked residents to check the source of the call, because in case of emergencies, local authorities can use only certain channels of communication that do not include direct telephone calls.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department advises residents not to respond to suspicious calls. If you have already responded and provided the caller with personal information, the department recommends that you inform the local law enforcement authorities about the incident.

Earthquake frauds have happened before. In 2015, Beverly Hills police warned residents about telephone fraud, during which the caller, who represented a city official, asked to inspect the property for damage from aftershocks, recognizing the personal data of people.

In Japan, shortly after the earthquake and tsunami in 2011, during which thousands of people died, authorities spread the information that fraudsters collect donations supposedly for the victims, and in the end assign this money.

As ForumDaily wrote earlier:

• Fourth of July in Southern California were recorded bumps magnitude 6,4. The epicenter was located in 18 kilometers northeast of the city of Ridzhkrest, the center was located at a depth of 8,7 kilometers.
• On July 5, hundreds of weaker aftershocks were observed in Southern California - aftershock. The power of most aftershocks ranged from 2 to 3 points, some from 3 to 4 points.
• It turned out that the early warning system, launched at the beginning of this year as part of a pilot program, didn't warn Los Angeles residents about the strong earthquake.
• July 5 evening in southern California 7,1 magnitude earthquake hit, the most powerful of the last 20 years. The aftershocks were recorded at 20: 19 local time. The epicenter of the earthquake was located in 193 kilometers north of Los Angeles, its center was located at a depth of ten kilometers.
• Fire, destruction, injury - such were the effects of the second per day powerful earthquake in california.
• Scientists believe that the ongoing series of shocks could lead to more than 30 000 new earthquakes (aftershock) over the next six months.

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