Top 6 Fraud Cases for 2015 in BC

February 02, 2016, Kitchener, Ontario

Posted by: Robert Deutschmann, Personal Injury Lawyer

The ICBC – BC’s provincial insurer, recently released its “Hall of Shame” list of the most egregious frauds for 2015. The list of offenders might be funny if it didn’t cost all of us so much time and money. These fraud claims make it more difficult for people genuinely injured to make claims, and to get fair settlements. The rate and cost of fraud has been a contributing factor to the continued rise in car insurance premiums and decreased benefits available to accident victims.

1. A man used his car accident to get out of doing the dishes at home. He was caught at work lifting boxes of flooring tiles all day. He was convicted of fraud and fined.
2. A woman who claimed an inability to work due to her car accident was caught collecting insurance premiums and continuing to work. After getting an anonymous tip she was fined and suspended from driving for a year.
3. A woman lied to police claiming her car had been stolen. It was subsequently found crashed. Her two driver age sons were alleged to be at home. Upon investigation the police found the car on traffic cams being driven by a male, one son’s phone records showed him in the car, a BC Ferry Camera caught the son’s image in the car and witnesses saw the man fleeing the scene of the accident. Her claim was denied, she was fined $2300, her son was fined and suspended from driving for a year, and given a 90 day of jail sentence.
4. A man claimed that he was driving along (minding his own business) when a car side swiped him. He was pleased to share the footage of the event that he’d captured on his dashcam. The problem was that it showed the man was a passenger in the car, and that his car was being driven by an unlicensed driver. His claim was denied.
5. A man claimed he woke up at 2 a.m. and noticed his BMW was missing. He called police to report the theft. The police found the car completely burnt in a nearby park. Police used the car’s technology and the key fob which showed the man had lied about when he used the car last. His claim was denied.
6. A man claimed he was a passenger on a bus which was involved in an accident. He was claiming personal injuries as a result of the accident. However, the bus security cameras revealed that the man was a passerby who was never on or even near the bus at the time of the collision. He was convicted of fraud, fined and spent time in jail.

Unfortunately many cases of fraud go undetected or unproven. If you are injured in any accident then you should be truthful at all times about your injuries and the circumstances of the accident. You have to assume that the police and the insurance company will thoroughly investigate every accident and all claims for benefits.

image courtesy of the ICBC

About Deutschmann Law

Deutschmann Law serves South-Western Ontario with offices in Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, Woodstock, Brantford, Stratford and Ayr. The law practice of Robert Deutschmann focuses almost exclusively in personal injury and disability insurance matters. For more information, please visit www.deutschmannlaw.com or call us at 1-519-742-7774.

The opinions expressed here, while intended to provide useful information, should not be interpreted as legal recommendations or advice.