New Consortium Plans Strategies to Combat Medical Fraud

The newly formed Consortium to Combat Medical Fraud, a joint project of the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud, the National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association and the National Insurance Crime Bureau, along with participation from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Justice, announced on June 24 its national agenda to pursue the perpetrators of medical fraud.

The Consortium is designed to create a more open and collaborative environment between different segments of the insurance industry to heighten the detection and prevention of health care fraud.

North Plainfield Man Charged With Insurance Fraud

A North Plainfield man who works as a guidance counselor at a middle school in Newark was indicted Wednesday on charges he torched his own car two years ago to collect insurance.

Kenyatta O'Bryant, 36, was indicted on charges of aggravated arson, attempted theft by deception and insurance fraud.

If convicted of the charges, O'Bryant faces up to 10 years in prison.

Private Investigators Examine House Explosion

A team of private investigators converged Monday at the site of a home destroyed in an apparent natural gas explosion.

Last Thursday’s blast at 410 Wellingford Street, near West Sugar Creek Road and North Tryon, killed 4-month-old Synora Coleman and injured her parents.

California Report Details How to Reduce Fraudulent Insurance Claims

Following a meeting with his Advisory Task Force on Insurance Fraud, Blue Ribbon Review Committee, California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner announced that he will implement five actions to help reduce fraudulent claims, including creating a fusion center for insurance fraud investigations so law enforcement can share information more efficiently and quickly to identify emerging trends and crime patterns.

"Insurance fraud is not a victimless crime," said Commissioner Poizner. "The costs are passed onto consumers to the tune of $500 a year for every man, woman and child and that's why I have made fighting insurance fraud one of my highest priorities."

Jury To Continue Deliberating In Wilcox Case

Jury deliberations will continue Wednesday for the man accused in the fiery crash on Avon Mountain three years ago that killed four people.

The jury has been deliberating since Friday and has not reached a verdict in the case of David Wilcox, who is the owner of the truck that barreled down Avon Mountain 2005.

The issue in the trial is if Wilcox, 72, did know that the liability insurance on his truck was suspended or if he tried to reinstate it right after the crash.

Fayetteville Reels in Bogus Movies, CDs

A DeKalb County man, who was found with over 300 counterfeit movies and 800 counterfeit music CD’s in his car, now faces felony charges in Fayetteville

According to Capt. Steve Crawshaw of the Fayetteville Police Department, Kenneth McCrory, 50, was arrested Wednesday and charged with unauthorized distribution and sale of recorded material.

According to Crawshaw, the arrest came after Fayetteville Police were contacted by a private investigator working for the Motion Picture Association of America.

The investigator told police he had purchased movies from a man selling them out of his SUV, Crawshaw said.

New Bureau Ready to Tackle Insurance Crime

With insurance crime costing short-term insurance companies more than R2 billion a year and increasing, the industry was launching an Insurance Crime Bureau (ICB) to tackle fraud, Viviene Pearson, the stakeholder relations manager at the SA Insurance Association, said yesterday.

Pearson said that the bureau would curb escalating insurance fraud. "Among other things, we have noticed that when interest rates spike, insurance fraud also increases.

Law Calls Halt to Cruisy Lifestyle

An international manhunt involving a $100,000 yacht, a Mediterranean holiday and a Mercedes-Benz has ended with an Englishman facing criminal charges in New Zealand.

Mark Norfolk has been charged with four counts of money laundering, totaling $60,000, and was denied bail in the Auckland District Court last month because he was considered a flight risk.

Britons Underestimate Seriousness of Insurance Fraud

Exaggerating or lying on an insurance claim may seem like a sneaky but harmless way of making some extra cash, but the reality is that consumers are now more likely to get caught than before, and with increasingly serious consequences.

Insurer RSA’s latest fraud survey assessed how likely people are to lie when making a claim, together with general attitudes towards insurance fraud.

The survey revealed that 1.2million Britons did not view this type of fraud as a serious offense.

Arson is No Solution for Foreclosure Threat

The fact that there is little or no financial gain in setting a home on fire may explain why investigators are seeing so few cases of suspected arson involving houses threatened with foreclosure.

When a home is destroyed by fire, insurance will cover the replacement cost of the home. However, whether the fire is a result of arson or other means, the lender will be named on the insurance settlement check.

In 2007, California recorded 481,392 notices of default. However, while the number of foreclosures has skyrocketed, potential foreclosure-related arsons have not followed suit. Only 14 arsons potentially related to foreclosure were reported in 2007 by the California Department of Insurance.

Local Doctor Accused Of Insurance Fraud

Prosecutors said a doctor used vaccines intended for the needy, then billed insurance companies.

Tuesday a Saginaw County judge will hear the evidence against Dr. Yuh-Lin Hung in the insurance fraud case.

The prosecution said Hung used vaccines meant for the underinsured through a federally funded program in his private practice – then allegedly billed insurance companies for the service.

Torch Your Car? Big Mistake

From higher gas prices to mortgage payments ballooning through the roof, consumers are under tremendous financial pressure. To ease that pressure some people have set their vehicles on fire and then filed a claim with the insurance company.

The California Department of Insurance has launched an investigation of two cases in the Northern California area.

"You will get caught!" said John Standish, a bureau chief for the department's fraud division. He said people who are upside down in their car loans, or owe more than what the car is worth, got into the financial predicament on their own.

Recent PI Raids on Counterfeiters Raise Concerns About Fakes

In bright orange letters, the sign in the window says "Yes We're Open."

But take a look at the black gate and lock that stretches across the front of Shoes N More at 2903 W. Western Ave., and you'll see a different story.

Consumers Warned of Insurance Fraud

From staged auto accidents to the sale of fake Medicare cards, insurance fraud is an increasing problem across the state and country.

In recognition of March being Fraud Prevention Month, AAA Arizona would like to shed light on this crime that is estimated to cost the average Arizona family an additional $300 per year in increased premiums.

Living the Life of Luxury? Former Title Agent Accused of Grand Theft

Investigators say 29-year-old Erica L. Daniels spent $660,000 of her former clients' escrow funds to live extravagantly.

The Florida Department of Financial Services' Fraud Division arrested Daniels at her modest Polk County home that she now shares with her husband and two elementary aged sons. They live at Grand Central Avenue near a busy railroad track. There are cows in a field behind the home that has an in ground swimming pool.

Private Detective Probes Case From Outer Space

Private eye T.K. Davis has worked his share of oddball cases. Once, he tracked down a one-armed woman wanted for child endangerment. He staked out a backyard to catch a guy throwing dirt clods into a pool. When you make your living answering life's mysterious questions at $100 an hour, you take a few calls out of the blue.

Public Works Employee Charged on Eleven Counts of Felony Workers' Compensation Fraud

37 year-old Brian Phillips of Visalia was charged with 11 felony counts of Workers' Compensation Insurance Fraud. The case was jointly investigated by claims administrator Keenan & Associates in their Rancho Cordova Office, and Tulare County Deputy District Attorney Leland Sterling, who was also the prosecutor. The investigation revealed that Phillips was working for the Visalia Safe Company, owned by his in-laws, while receiving disability benefits from the City of Visalia.

Four Valley Cities Involved in Chiropractor Fraud

Businesses in four Valley cities are part of an alleged 5 state insurance fraud ring involving chiropractor offices.

The Allstate Insurance Company says people employed by Chiropractic Strategies Group obtained police reports of people not at fault in car accidents. Then telemarketers called them, saying that people could get a free check up at those offices.

Fraud Scene Investigator

People don’t normally try to kill you for doing their taxes, but forensic accounting is a whole different ball game.

One morning a few years ago, forensic accountant Al Vondra was driving to work on Cleveland's Interstate 77 as he always did. But this day was different. As he was driving, all four tires on his Buick LeSabre suddenly exploded. The gas tank hit the ground at 65 miles per hour, and the car came to a grinding halt. Fortunately, nothing exploded, and Vondra was able to get to the side of the road and wait for the police.

Three People Charged Following ‘Cash for Crash’ Investigation

Three people have been charged for insurance fraud as part of the ongoing enquiry into ‘cash for crash’ scams in West Yorkshire.

Over the past 10 months West Yorkshire Police have been working in close conjunction with the Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB) to expose thousands of pounds worth of alleged false motor accident claims.