Hundreds of fraudulent claims were busted by SGI’s Special Investigation Unit last year, which saved the Crown Corporation $5.8 million. In one case a woman filed a claim saying she fell asleep while driving and hit a parked car. She admitted to significant financial hardship and had recently spoken with a bailiff about the repossession of her high valued SUV the day before.
A news release from SGI says the SIU discovered she had lied to her bank about being able to make her delinquent payments in order to give herself some more time to come up with the money. Crash data from the accident showed the SUV was idle five seconds before the collision followed by a quick pressing on the gas pedal which would propelled the vehicle forward at a speed of about 31 km/h upon impact. It is believed she used the accident to avoid having the vehicle repossessed.
Savings to SGI are $63,000.
Here’s a look at some eyebrow-raising attempted insurance frauds from 2022:
Heist hoax: A customer – we’ll call him Cole* — reported his vehicle missing. He claimed the vehicle had been parked in front of his house with a spare key locked inside. One hour after Cole reported the vehicle missing, police found it a short walk from his house, on the front lawn of someone else’s property. It had collided into a nearby parked vehicle and a tree. Cole then filed a theft and collision claim with SGI, while another customer filed a claim for the parked vehicle and property damage was also submitted. SIU found security footage that showed the subject vehicle travelled at a high rate of speed, lost control and collided with a parked vehicle, then the tree. The footage shows a person matching Cole’s description walking away from the vehicle and locking it with a fob. Cole confessed to causing the collision following a celebration – saying he should not have been driving. Cole was on the hook for $50,000 in vehicle and property damage.
Rollback rip-off: Jessie* submitted a claim saying she drove her truck through a “dip with standing water” which caused the engine to quit. The truck needed a costly engine repair or replacement. SIU found that, during the investigation, the vehicle’s odometer had somehow been rolled back. Investigators discovered that Jessie rolled back the truck’s odometer to show 150,000 fewer kilometres than what should have been on the engine, in order to increase the value of the truck. Jessie withdrew her claim after being confronted with the SIU findings, saving SGI $7,000.
Turnoff tales: Connor* told SGI he and his girlfriend were travelling around 55 km/hr through foggy conditions in the early morning hours when he missed a turnoff and hit an abandoned vehicle on the shoulder of the highway. He said they panicked and walked to a nearby house for help, rather than calling the police. The residents of the home 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 Connor’s account of the incident was unreliable and vague. His claim was denied for misrepresentation and saved SGI $40,000.
Deer dupe: Allison* filed a claim stating she hit a deer and left her vehicle at the roadside. She said when she came back to the vehicle, it had been completely burned. SIU contacted a witness who saw two people remove belongings from the vehicle before the vehicle went up in flames a short time later. SIU discovered the vehicle was not registered at the time of the collision – and registration had been purchased by Allison less than an hour after the crash. SIU believes Allison also returned to set the vehicle on fire in order to receive a payout. The claim was denied, saving SGI $5,000
Sleeping scam: Katherine* filed a claim with SGI, stating she fell asleep while driving and collided with a parked vehicle. Katherine admitted to significant financial hardship and had recently spoken with a bailiff about repossession of her high valued SUV the day before the collision. SIU conducted several interviews to confirm Katherine was in financial trouble. It was discovered she had lied to her bank about being able to make her delinquent payments in order to “buy herself some time”. Crash data retrieval evidence showed the vehicle was fully idle five seconds before the collision. That evidence showed that this was followed by a fast depression of the gas pedal, which sent the vehicle propelling forward, with a peak speed of 31 km/h upon impact. SIU believes Katherine caused the collision intentionally to avoid having the vehicle repossessed. Total savings? $63,000.
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. To report anonymously, call Saskatchewan Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
*All names in these scenarios have been changed.
