Latest Fraud Headlines
All the headlines from our Fraud Topic Page, ordered by recency.
New York Enacts Law Protecting Hate Crime Victims in Insurance Dealings
Dec 14 2022 // New York Governor Kathy Hochul has signed legislation (S.7658-B/A.8869-B) to protect individuals and organizations that are victims of hate crimes from unfair insurance practices. The new law prohibits insurers from...
Increased Car Accidents? Blame Weather, Time of Day—Not Pot Decriminalization
Dec 12 2022 // Actuarial research released last week suggests that marijuana decriminalization is not associated with a notable increase in traffic accidents or accident severity. Temporal patterns of human activity (such as yearly,...
Former California Insurance Agent Sentenced for Theft
Dec 9 2022 // Francis Okyere, 70, a previously licensed insurance agent in Westlake Village, California, was sentenced this week after pleading no contest to 17 felony counts of identity theft and grand theft by false pretenses. A...
Unlicensed Contractor, Deputy Sheriff in Florida Charged in Insurance Fraud Cases
Dec 8 2022 // An unlicensed contractor and a deputy sheriff in Florida have been charged in separate incidents of contracting fraud and insurance fraud, state and local authorities said. Ty Lamonte Hillman was arrested this week after...
Fraudulent Funds Transfer, Ransomware Are Main Drivers of Cyber Loss: Corvus
Dec 7 2022 // According to new data from Corvus Insurance, fraudulent funds transfer (FFT) continues to generate substantial losses for organizations. FFT comprised 36% of of the company’s cyber claims – an all-time high –...
Former Wirecard Executives in the Dock as Germany’s Biggest Fraud Trial Begins
Dec 6 2022 // Former Wirecard executives go on trial on Thursday, two years after the collapse of the payments company that produced Germany’s biggest post-war fraud scandal and sent shockwaves through the country’s...
Heightened Penalties for Arson, Retail Theft in North Carolina Now in Effect
Dec 6 2022 // Tougher penalties for certain types of arsons and large-scale thefts at stores in North Carolina are among all or portions of 10 new state laws approved by the General Assembly this year that will take effect on...
People Moves: Hartford Chief Sustainability Officer; Amwins New Transportation Role; Deputy Exec Director at Coalition Against Insurance Fraud; Chubb Names N.A. Financial Lines President
Dec 5 2022 // The Hartford Names Shields Chief Sustainability Officer The Hartford has appointed Terence Shields to the newly created role of chief sustainability officer. Shields will lead the Office of Sustainability as it guides...
Washington Contractor Faces Felony Theft Charge in Reported Workers’ Comp Scam
Dec 5 2022 // An Everett, Washington, man reportedly caught remodeling homes while claiming he was too injured to work has been charged with felony theft in a workers’ compensation fraud case. Terry Lee Dawson, 62, is accused of...
Massachusetts Insurance Agent Sentenced for Disability Fraud
Dec 2 2022 // The former owner and operator of an Arlington-based insurance agency was sentenced earlier this month for fraudulently receiving disability benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Social Security...
California Labor Commissioner Cites Car Wash $900K for Wage Theft
Dec 1 2022 // The California Labor Commissioner’s office cited Shine N Brite Car Wash $908,998 for wage theft violations affecting 15 workers. The Los Angeles-based employer was cited for minimum wage, overtime and rest break...
Ex-Iowa Insurance Agent Charged With Forgery, Fraud Sales Theft
Nov 30 2022 // Joseph Drahozal, age 57, of Cedar Rapids was charged with one count of Forgery (Class D Felony), two counts of Fraudulent Sales Practice under $10,000 (Class D Felony), and one count of Theft in the third degree...
Parents Sue Carmaker Over Crash of Stolen Kia That Killed 4
Nov 29 2022 // BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — A 16-year-old accused of driving a stolen SUV involved in a high-speed crash that killed four teenage passengers was arraigned Tuesday on manslaughter and other charges. The parents of two of those...
Washington Contractor Faces Theft Charge over $127K in Workers’ Comp
Nov 23 2022 // A Clark County, Washington, man was charged with stealing $127,000 in workers’ compensation benefits for working at his own construction business while claiming he was too injured to work. Daniel Joseph Lesieur, 54,...
Insurers Told Expunged Crimes Off-Limits as New York Licenses First Cannabis Shops
Nov 22 2022 // New York has approved its first 36 retail marijuana dispensary licenses, awarding them to 28 applicants with prior cannabis convictions and eight nonprofits that serve those formerly incarcerated. New York officials wanted...
Washington Contractor Faces Felony Theft Charge in Reported Workers’ Comp Scam
Nov 22 2022 // An Everett, Washington, man reportedly caught remodeling homes while claiming he was too injured to work has been charged with felony theft in a workers’ compensation fraud case. Terry Lee Dawson, 62, is accused of...
Tesla Safety Is Focus of South Korean Criminal Trial Over Fiery, Fatal Crash
Nov 21 2022 // In an upscale Seoul neighborhood two years ago, a white Tesla Model X smashed into a parking lot wall. The fiery crash killed a prominent lawyer – a close friend of South Korea’s president. Prosecutors have...
Elizabeth Holmes Sentenced to More Than 11 Years in Prison for Theranos Fraud
Nov 21 2022 // A federal judge on Friday sentenced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes to 11 years and three months in prison for defrauding investors in her now-defunct blood-testing startup that was once valued at $9 billion. In San...
Nationwide Catalytic Converter Theft Ring Taken Down in Raid
Nov 21 2022 // Twenty-one people in nine states were arrested and charged Nov. 2 with their roles in conspiracies to steal catalytic converters from vehicles across the country and sell them for profit. According to the U.S. Department...
Many Cyber Criminals Return After Ransomware Payments Are Made
Nov 21 2022 // Over a third (36%) of companies who paid a ransom to cyber criminals went on to be targeted for a second time, according to the latest Cyber Readiness Report from Hiscox. In addition, more than four in 10 (41%) of those...
