A former manager at a Bank of America branch in California who was already convicted of helping bank robbers steal from her place of employment found herself in even hotter water, after officials said she had the “audacity” to also file a bogus workers’ compensation claim. She said the robbery — which, again, she was in on — left her with post-traumatic stress disorder. [More]
insurance fraud
Ex-Bank Worker Charged With Insurance Fraud For Claiming PTSD After Robbing Her Workplace
By 8.12.14
Actor Behind One Of Kia’s Dancing Hamsters Accused Of Working While Collecting Disability Payments
By 6.5.14
For the state of California, a man dancing around with the head of a hamster in a Kia commercial is an unbelievable thing. Not because hamsters don’t drive cars or have the bodies of humans, but because if you’re claiming disability pay, you shouldn’t be able to be a dancing hamster and get paid for it. [More]
Officials: Scammers Faked Single-Car Crashes Using Deer Body Parts In $5M Insurance Fraud Scheme
By 5.29.14
Anyone who’s seen the aftermath of a car-on-deer collision knows the scene is far from a pretty one. But officials in Pennsylvania say a group of 41 scammers took the time to stage similar gory tableaus to fake single-car accidents and defraud insurance companies out of $5 million total. [More]
Guess What Happened After Insurance Scammer On The Run Tweets “Catch Me If You Can”?
By 7.9.13
Perhaps, after reading the above headline, you were guessing that a woman convicted of raking more than $650,000 in disability and insurance payments after faking injuries ended up winning the lottery and going to Disney World, where all her transgressions were forgiven. But nope! After tweeting such taunts as “Catch me if you can,” the former Amtrak clerk was tracked down in Mexico and arrested. [More]
Man Allegedly Commits Insurance Fraud With Fake Dead Cat
By 7.9.12
Back in March 2009, a customer of PEMCO insurance was in a minor car accident, and the company paid out $3,452 for damages to the other driver’s car. Simple enough. No injuries were reported, and no pets in the car. Which is why it caught some PEMCO employees’ attention when the other driver filed a claim two and a half years later, seeking $20,000 for the death of his cat, Tom. The animal was “like a son” to him, he claimed. But “Tom” only existed as photos of someone else’s cats, readily available on the Internet. The state of Washington has charged the man with felony insurance fraud. [More]
Florida Police Bust Garages For Illegal Tows, Insurance Fraud After Owners Seen Flashing Cash On Facebook
By 2.17.12
Here’s a helpful hint to anyone wishing to run a million-dollar insurance scam — don’t post pictures on Facebook of you and your friends waving wads of cash. [More]
Beware Of "Windshield Bullies"
By 11.12.10
Police are issuing renewed warnings about “windshield bullies.” In some of the worst cases, they’ll damage your windshield and then ring your doorbell offering their windshield replacement services. [More]
Does Your Doctor's Office Combat Insurance Fraud With Webcams?
By 8.27.10
Melissa tells Consumerist that she had an irritating recent visit to her optometrist’s office. The experience led her to find a new provider (hooray, free market!) but she wonders whether the offending office’s tactics are becoming more common in other places. She wants to know: have any of your health care providers started photographing patients, claiming that the snapshots are to prevent insurance fraud? [More]
People Making Ends Meet With Car Insurance Fraud
By 5.17.10
Citing National Insurance Crime Bureau stats, AutoBlog reports people are staging 46 percent more car accidents in order to get a little green flowing in their direction. This despite rampant unemployment lowering the rate of actual car accidents due to decreased traffic. [More]
On The Rise: People Blowing Up Their Own Cars
By 6.8.09
Nothing salves buyer’s remorse like a match in a fuel tank. Citing National Insurance Crime Bureau figures, a Los Angeles Times story says car owners are resorting to nefarious means to put an end to burdensome car loans. In the first quarter of the year, suspicious fires or arson were up 27 percent for the first quarter of the year and cases of intentionally destroyed cars shot up 24 percent.
Los Angeles Hospitals Accused Of Using Homeless 'Patients' In Insurance Fraud Scams
By 8.7.08
Hospitals in Los Angeles and Orange counties submitted phony Medicare and Medi-Cal bills for hundreds, perhaps thousands, of homeless patients—including drug addicts and the mentally ill—recruited from downtown’s Skid Row, state and federal authorities allege.
