Latest Fraud Headlines

All the headlines from our Fraud Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Texas’ June Enforcement Actions Result in $441K in Fines, Restitution

Aug 10 2009 // Enforcement actions taken by Texas Commissioner Mike Geeslin that became final during June included 18 license revocations, five license denials and fines and restitution totaling $441,318, the Texas Department of...

2nd ‘Stanford’ Suit Targets Willis; Terrorist Bombs Kill 9 in Indonesia; Insurance Fraud on the Rise in UK; Lloyd’s ‘Fli

Aug 3 2009 // Willis has been named in a second lawsuit stemming from its relation with indicted financier Allen Stanford. A Venezuelan investor, Reinaldo Ranni, filed a class action in U.S. federal court in Miami on July 17, accusing...

Insurer to Pay Bulk of $900K Settlement in Nebraska Fraud Case

Jul 23 2009 // A group of more than 200 investors who believe they were defrauded by their Nebraska-based brokers will share roughly $900,000 in a settlement with one of their brokers’ former employers. The company’s...

Massachusetts Police Arrest 13 in Auto Insurance Fraud Case

Jul 20 2009 // Thirteen people have been charged with auto insurance fraud in connection with what Massachusetts police say was a staged accident that resulted in more than $76,000 in insurance payouts. Lawrence, Massachusetts Police...

Recession Increasing Insurance Fraud

Jul 20 2009 // Areas Where Agents Might See an Increase in Fraud Does a bad economy increase crime? According to Mike McKee, senior special agent for the National Insurance Crime Bureau, it’s too soon for statistics to confirm...

British Insurers’ Report Denounces Widespread Insurance Fraud

Jul 17 2009 // The UK’s insurers are fighting back in the war against fraud. According to a report published by the Association of British Insurers, “the cost of insurance fraud is now estimated to be £5.2 million [$8.48...

New York Sees Increase in Insurance Fraud Convictions

Jul 17 2009 // The number of insurance fraud arrests in New York was down very slightly in the first half of the year, but conviction are up, according to a newly updated fraud report by the state’s insurance department. The New...

Louisiana Auto Theft, Fraud Authority Launches New Web Site

Jul 13 2009 // Louisiana Commissioner of Insurance Jim Donelon announced that the Louisiana Automobile Theft and Insurance Fraud Prevention Authority (LATIFPA) within the Department of Insurance has launched a new Web site with...

New York Charges Doctors, Hospital Employees with No-Fault Fraud

Jul 9 2009 // New York Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo announced the indictment of 12 people and 9 corporations across New York City for their roles in an alleged criminal enterprise that paid hospital employees for confidential...

Massachusetts Police Arrest 13 in Auto Insurance Fraud Case

Jul 8 2009 // Thirteen people from Lawrence and Methuen have been charged with auto insurance fraud in connection with what police say was a staged accident that resulted in more than $76,000 in insurance payouts. Lawrence Chief John...

Kentucky Officials Accused of Crimes Covered By Legal Insurance

Jul 6 2009 // Elected county officials in Kentucky who run afoul of the law can have their legal bills paid by a nonprofit lobbying group set up for the state’s counties. The Kentucky Association of Counties’ taxpayer-funded...

West Virginia Doctor Convicted of Insurance Fraud Denied New Trial

Jul 6 2009 // A federal judge has denied a convicted West Virginia physician’s request for a new trial. Dr. John C. Sharp of Marlinton was convicted last year on 29 counts of health care fraud for billing insurers for services he...

New York Warns Agents on Identity Theft Scam

Jul 6 2009 // New York State licensed insurance agents and brokers should be aware of an identity theft scam involving telephone calls used to target insurance professionals in at least a half dozen states. Acting New York Insurance...

Declarations

Jul 6 2009 // Above and Beyond Autos “Insurance fraud in the islands is not solely committed against automobile insurance, and the state’s effort should not be restricted to a single line of insurance.” —Coalition...

Georgia Warns Insurance Agents of Possible Identity Theft Scam

Jul 1 2009 // Georgia Insurance Commissioner John W. Oxendine said insurance agents in several states have been called by scammers posing as insurance regulators in order to collect personal data that would make I.D. theft...

Illinois Insurance Agent Accused in $370K Fraud Scheme

Jun 30 2009 // The Illinois Department of Insurance reported that a licensed insurance agent, Larry Chouinard of Kankakee, has been arrested for allegedly defrauding 13 businesses of nearly $370,000. Bradley, Ill., police arrested...

California Efforts To Reduce Prison Budget Would Hurt Fraud Fighting

Jun 29 2009 // California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed downgrading insurance crimes in California from felonies to misdemeanors to help reduce the prison budget — a move that insurance and fraud experts say would have...

TJX Reaches Settlement with States on Data Theft

Jun 25 2009 // The parent company of retailers T.J. Maxx and Marshall’s will pay $9.75 million in a settlement with multiple states related to a massive data theft that exposed tens of millions of payment card numbers. Framingham,...

Illinois Insurance Agent Pleads Guilty to Fraud

Jun 25 2009 // Zion, Ill., resident Reuben Collier Jr. has pleaded guilty to four Class 3 felony charges in Lake County Court, the Illinois Department of Insurance announced. Collier, an insurance agent licensed by the Department,...

South Texas Brokers Charged with Multi-Million Dollar Insurance Fraud

Jun 25 2009 // Two licensed insurance brokers with offices in the Brownsville, Texas, area have been charged with conspiracy, mail fraud and wire fraud in a multi-million dollar scheme, according to U.S. Attorney Tim Johnson. The U.S....