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.