The Great Pretenders
That injured customer may be a scam artist.
The manager of a Road America convenience store in Lebanon,
Indiana, knew enough to keep his eye on a customer who was
wandering aimlessly around the back of the store one February
morning. As the manager watched on the store's security
mirrors, the customer sat down, slapped his hand against a display
case and began screaming in pain. Alarmed, the manager called an
ambulance and the police. The man was treated for minor injuries
and released.
Two months later, Road America's carrier, Indiana
Farmer's Insurance Agency, received a bill for $60,000 from a
hospital in Nigeria, claiming the customer had been treated there
for extensive injuries. The customer demanded payment through
numerous phone calls, even after the company denied the claim.
The Indiana Insurance Fraud Task Force uncovered a pattern of
suspicious claims by the customer. When he was arrested in
Cincinnati, he was carrying a computer disk full of fake letters
and bills he would print at local copy shops and fax to
insurers.
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According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), 10
percent of all property/casualty insurance claims are fraudulent.
In one popular scam, the hustler stages an accident at a business
in hopes of collecting insurance. It's not a victimless crime;
every accident claim filed on your business raises your premium.
Fortunately, the same steps you'd take to eliminate real
accidents can also help prevent bogus ones.
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