Claim professionals handling losses stemming from the recent Oklahoma wildfires might want to notify policyholders to heed a warning from California about opportunistic criminals posing as licensed contractors and public adjusters.
Oklahoma wildfires have been raging since mid-April, and reports have put damage estimates at $20 million in losses. More than 100 homes have been destroyed, according to local media reports.
Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Kim Holland has already declared a state of emergency, which allows insurance companies to quickly respond by enabling emergency adjusters to be temporarily licensed to expedite the insurance claim process.
"Oklahoma's professional agents and adjusters are poised to respond," said Holland, in a release. "I have been in contact with many companies last night and this morning who have already moved claim adjusters into impacted areas to facilitate a quick and timely response for their policyholders." She continued by saying, "Allowing adjusters from other states will assist insurance companies in quickly assessing damages and paying policyholders' claims."
The Oklahoma wildfire news comes amidst an announcement from California's Department of Insurance (CDI) Commissioner Steve Poizner about two convictions of unlicensed contractors stemming from the state's 2007 Witch Creek wildfires.
According to CDI investigators, an insured couple lost their home in the 2007 Witch Creek Fire. They contracted with Roger Paul Rajcic and Darrien Carl Webster, who, unbeknownst to the couple, were unlicensed. Rajcic was contracted to rebuild their home and Webster agreed to handle their insurance claim. When the couple discovered that both men were unlicensed, they filed a complaint. Both men face probation and fines.
Following the October 2007 wildfires, Commissioner Poizner sent strike teams of CDI enforcement officers to fire zones to conduct undercover operations to identify and help prosecute unlicensed contractors and public adjusters who attempted to scam wildfire victims.
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