Behind the Badge
Anaheim Police are looking for a suspect sought in connection with a fraudulent fire inspection that bilked a business out of more than $400.
On Tuesday, Sept. 13 a man walked into a business in the 1600 block of S. State College Boulevard posing as a representative from the State Fire Marshal’s Office, according to a joint news release from Anaheim Fire & Rescue and the APD.
The suspect presented counterfeit letterhead indicating he was acting on behalf of the California State Fire Marshal and then completed an unauthorized inspection and charged the business more than $400.
The counterfeit letterhead as redacted by the Anaheim PD.
The incident was brought to the attention of Anaheim Fire & Rescue this morning.
“Immediately upon becoming aware of the incident we notified our partners at Anaheim Police and a criminal investigation is under way,” said Anaheim Fire Marshal and Anaheim Fire & Rescue Deputy Chief Rusty Coffelt.
“Anytime a member of Anaheim Fire & Rescue responds for an inspection, the employee will be in an official uniform,” Coffelt said. “You may always ask for city-issued identification if an individual is purporting to be at your property on official business. If you have questions about the validity of a persons’ credentials, call the issuing agency.”
California law prohibits individuals from falsely presenting themselves as members of a fire agency and the unauthorized inspection is a theft.
A similar incident was reported in Huntington Beach late last month.
It is unknown if it was the same individual, but the suspect presented identical letterhead during that incident.
