Photos Do Lie: Carolina Authorities Charge Two With Insurance Fraud for Fake Fires

North Carolina authorities have charged two men with fraud and theft after they submitted photographs of fires that never occurred.

Antonio Collins, 32, of Greensboro, obtained $11,122 from State Farm Insurance after he filed a claim on his renter’s insurance policy and provided fraudulent photos and documents, state Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey said.

Javore Blackwell, 32, of Winston-Salem, was charged after insurance department investigators found he had submitted a false claim to State Farm for almost $8,700, using photos and documents of a fire that did not happen.

The alleged offenses took place in late 2019, 2020 and early 2021, Causey said.

“Property and casualty insurance fraud costs insurance customers an estimated $120 billion a year in increased premiums,” Causey said in a statement.

Collins is due in court on May 2 and Blackwell on May 12.

Topics Fraud