Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) has released its top five “wild and wacky” insurance claims that turned out to be untrue after investigation by the special investigation unit (SIU).
“In 2021, SIU busted hundreds of people attempting to make fraudulent claims, saving the company around $6 million. This important work helps keep insurance rates low for honest customers,” SGI said in a press release.
Here are the top five insurance frauds from 2021, with names changed for privacy reasons:
Running into an old friend
A man claimed his vehicle was broadsided after a woman drove her vehicle through a stop sign. The man and woman said they didn’t know each other. The woman was initially charged by police but further investigation revealed the possibility that the crash had been staged.
SIU got video of the crash which showed the man had slowed down to a stop which gave the woman enough time to speed up and crash into the side of his vehicle.
“The video evidence, along with downloaded vehicle data, showed the crash was indeed set up,” SGI said in the release.
It was also discovered during the investigation that the two drivers did indeed know each other.
The claim was denied which saved SGI $7,000.
Technology to the rescue
A woman claimed her brand new 2021 Camaro was stolen.
Police worked with OnStar to find the vehicle, which was located with a damaged front end.
The woman filed a claim with SGI, but they say her “story got a bit murky” when she confessed she still had both key fobs, since the car wouldn’t be able to start without them.
When the woman found out SGI would collect technical information from OnStar, she decided to withdraw her claim.
SGI saved $13,000.
Into the drink
A woman, Barb, claimed her daughter Amanda had borrowed her vehicle and gotten into a collision. Barb said it was raining at the time of the crash and when Amanda swerved to avoid hitting a deer on a gravel road, she slid off the roadway into a nearby dugout.
SGI said the story seemed plausible at first, until an SIU investigator went to see the scene for themselves. It turns out the gravel road wasn’t gravel and the dugout was actually a town reservoir hundreds of feet from the paved roadway.
SGI said the vehicle would have had to have been driven through a town park before entering the reservoir.
The investigation also revealed that Amanda had been drinking at the time of the crash.
The claim was denied and SGI managed to save $65,000.
Car of his dreams
“For many people, it’s a dream to own a vintage muscle car, and for this would-be fraudster, it will stay that way,” SGI said about this next denied claim.
A man, James, claimed his classic car was stolen but he wasn’t able to show any receipts or financial information related to the car.
SGI said he also couldn’t give them any photos of the vehicle from the past 15 years.
“The only photo James did share with SGI turned out to be a stock image from a vehicle in the U.S.,” the release stated.
SGI said neighbours and the autobody shop staff who had supposedly worked on the car did not remember it. It wasn’t the kind of car anyone would forget, SGI added.
This busted claim saved SGI more than $20,000.
Doesn’t add up
Julie said her rental property was robbed in a claim. She said tens of thousands of dollars worth of property was stolen.
SGI said with this claim, there were red flags right off the bat.
“Julie had only bought insurance two weeks prior to the alleged theft. She also didn’t have any receipts or documents to prove she ever owned the stolen items,” SGI stated.
SGI said a financial assessment was done and it proved Julie couldn’t support the large purchases with her income. SIU also determined the rental property wasn’t big enough to house everything that was reported stolen.
“The evidence stacked up quickly against Julie’s claim, which ultimately was denied,” SGI stated.
The denied claim saved SGI $70,000.
SGI reminded customers it is important to always tell the truth when making an insurance claim.
Anyone with information about potential insurance fraud is encouraged to contact SGI’s Special Investigation Unit at siu@sgi.sk.ca or 1-800-667-8015, ext. 6887. Reports can also be made anonymously by calling Saskatchewan Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
Comments