US woman arrested for ‘firefighter husband’ scam

A California woman has been arrested after allegedly posing as a firefighter’s wife on social media to encourage people to donate thousands of dollars to her.

Ashley Bemis, 28, claimed in a now-deleted Facebook post, that she was married to a firefighter who was fighting the Holy Fire in Riverside and Orange counties back in August.

In a statement, from the Orange County Sherriff’s Office, it was revealed that she posted fake photos and requests for donations across multiple social media platforms in a bid to ‘raise money’ for the firefighters.

“She solicited for items she claimed would benefit the firefighters working alongside her husband battling the blaze,” the Sherriff’s Office said, Bemis’ posts requesting things like air mattresses and blankets.

It wasn’t until a local California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection employee spotted the post that her alleged scam began to fall apart.

Bemis had referred to her husband as ‘Shane Goodman’, but the employee who spotted the post didn’t recognise that name and couldn’t find it anywhere in the fire department’s database.

The post was reported to the sheriff’s department and an investigation was launched, leading to Bemis’ arrest.

It’s suspected that she pocketed more than USD $2,000 (AUD $2,800) in donations of cash and goods, reported KTLA News, many of which were discovered in her car and home.

She has been charged with felony grand theft, second-degree burglary. Witness intimidations and making false financial statements and is currently being held on $50,000 bail.

It has also been alleged that she has previously faked pregnancies to scam people out of money on social media.