Here are 5 strange insurance fraud schemes attempted in Sask.
Here are 5 strange insurance fraud schemes attempted in Sask.
From rolling back an odometer 150,000 kilometres to intentionally causing a collision, Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) is highlighting its top five insurance fraud cases of 2022.
SGI’s Special Investigation Unit (SIU) busted hundreds of fraudulent claims in 2022 resulting in $5.8 million in savings, the agency said in a news release.
'HEIST HOAX'
SGI said a customer reported their vehicle missing and claimed it had been parked in front of their house with a spare key locked inside.
One hour after the vehicle was reported missing, police found it a short walk from the person’s house on the front lawn of someone else’s property after it had collided into a nearby parked vehicle and tree.
The vehicle’s owner filed a theft and collision claim while another person filed a claim for the parked vehicle and property damage.
SGI said security camera footage showed the vehicle in question travelled at a high rate of speed, lost control and collided with a parked vehicle and then a tree.
The driver then walked away from the vehicle, locking it with a key fob.
The person confessed to the collision and said they should not have been driving at the time.
They owed $50,000 in vehicle and property damage.
'ROLLBACK RIP-OFF'
Someone submitted a claim that said they drove their truck through a dip with standing water, which caused the engine to quit. It was discovered that the truck actually needed a costly engine repair or replacement.
SIU also discovered the vehicle’s odometer had been rolled back 150,000 kilometres in order to increase the value of the truck.
The claim was withdrawn after the person was confronted by SIU which saved SGI $7,000.
'TURNOFF TALES'
SGI saved $40,000 after a fraudulent claim stated that a driver and his girlfriend were in a collision with an abandoned vehicle while driving in foggy conditions after missing a turnoff.
The drivers said they panicked and instead of calling police, they walked to a nearby home.
The homeowners reported to police that the couple said they did not want police to know about the collision.
“Police visited the collision site and saw several concerning items inside the vehicle, including drug paraphernalia. Additionally, there was no evidence of fog that morning and no nearby turnoff that the driver could have missed. SIU discovered the vehicle was travelling at double the reported speed, and additional witnesses claimed Connor and his girlfriend were both very intoxicated. SIU found [the claimant’s] account of the incident was unreliable and vague,” the release said.
'DEER DUPE'
A person filed a claim that stated they hit a deer and left their vehicle at the scene of the collision before coming back to find the vehicle completely burned.
SIU spoke with a witness who saw two people removing belongings from inside the vehicle before it went up in flames a short time later.
SIU discovered the vehicle was not registered at the time of the collision and registration was then purchased less than an hour after the crash.
SIU said it believes the driver also returned to set the vehicle on fire in order to receive a cash payout.
SGI denied the claim and saved $5,000.
'SLEEPING SCAM'
Someone filed a claim stating they had fallen asleep and collided with a parked vehicle. After admitting to dealing with significant financial hardship the person revealed they had recently spoken with a bailiff about the vehicle, a high value SUV, being repossessed.
SIU confirmed the person was experiencing financial troubles and then discovered the person caused the collision intentionally to avoid having the vehicle repossessed.
SGI said it saved $63,000 after denying the claim.
“When making insurance claims, the important thing to do is always be honest about the incident,” SGI said in a release.
Potential insurance fraud cases can be reported to SGI or Saskatchewan Crime Stoppers.
Donald Trump said Thursday that he has been indicted on charges of mishandling classified documents at his Florida estate, igniting a federal prosecution that is arguably the most perilous of multiple legal threats against the former U.S. president as he seeks to reclaim the White House.
The Supreme Court of Canada will not hear the appeal of an Alberta woman who was unwilling to be vaccinated in order to get a life-saving organ transplant.
What happens to the brain when you take gravity away? According to a new study looking at astronauts both before and after space travel, that experience causes physical changes that researchers believe requires at least three years between longer missions to recover from.
As wildfires rage across Canada in what’s being called an unprecedented season, one expert says there’s more that individuals and communities can do to adapt and prevent forest fires from causing widespread devastation.
Rescuers in Washington state are praising the resourcefulness of a 10-year-old girl who survived on her own for more than 24 hours in the rugged terrain of the Cascade mountains after getting lost while out with her family.
Air pollution from wildfires remained well above healthy levels across much of southern and northern Ontario and several communities in British Columbia and Alberta on Thursday.
A man who killed his ex-wife’s cousin will spend life in prison with no chance of parole for 15 years, a judge decided on Thursday at Saskatoon’s Court of King’s Bench.
Donald Trump said Thursday that he has been indicted on charges of mishandling classified documents at his Florida estate, igniting a federal prosecution that is arguably the most perilous of multiple legal threats against the former U.S. president as he seeks to reclaim the White House.
The Supreme Court of Canada will not hear the appeal of an Alberta woman who was unwilling to be vaccinated in order to get a life-saving organ transplant.
Donald Trump said Thursday that he has been indicted on charges of mishandling classified documents at his Florida estate, igniting a federal prosecution that is arguably the most perilous of multiple legal threats against the former U.S. president as he seeks to reclaim the White House.
Premier Danielle Smith says the government is bringing in arson investigators from outside the province to trace the cause of some wildfires during an unprecedented season in Alberta.
Video has surfaced showing a Mississauga, Ont. transit bus plowing into stopped traffic in a crash that left one person dead and at least eight injured on Thursday morning.
As interest rates continue to rise, the cost of buying a house in Ottawa and across Canada is becoming more expensive. Many homeowners are now forced to extend their mortgage payments.
Tumbler Ridge, a community with a population of 2,400 in northeastern B.C., has been ordered to evacuate Thursday due to the danger posed by an encroaching wildfire.
More than 70 guests have RSVP'd for a Squamish couple's beach wedding in Tofino, but the wildfire-related closure of Highway 4 has upended their plans.
Quebec's precarious wildfire situation is expected to remain stable over the next 48 hours but residents displaced by the raging forest fires likely won't be able to return home until early next week, Premier Francois Legault said Thursday.
An Ontario man charged Wednesday with first-degree murder in the death of Claudia Iacono, the daughter-in-law of the late Montreal Mafia associate Moreno Gallo, was arrested the day after the killing in Ontario on unrelated drug charges, public records show.
Former Montreal mayor Denis Coderre, who spent his life in politics, collapsed and suffered a stroke on April 11, and even as he's slowly recovering, the fighter's instinct, that he's known for, is very much alive.
The mayor of Port Alberni says she does not expect the highway to reopen for several days at least, and she is asking the province to open more forestry roads to truck in much-needed supplies to communities west of the wildfire.
New Brunswick students under the age of 16 who identify as trans and non-binary won't be able to officially change their names or pronouns in school without parental consent.
The Halifax Regional Municipality says it will announce Thursday when more residents can return to their homes in communities impacted by the Tantallon wildfires.
A $100 million class action lawsuit launched on behalf of alleged victims of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy on Manitoulin Island has been abandoned after the victims reached individual settlements with the church.
An 18-year-old woman riding a bike was taken to an out-of-region hospital with what police call “possible serious injuries” after a crash involving a sedan in Kitchener.
Waterloo region and Wellington County remain under a special air quality statement for the fourth straight day Thursday with pollution levels expected to worsen into the evening before potential rainfall and shifting winds could bring some reprieve.
