Latest Fraud Headlines
All the headlines from our Fraud Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Vocational School Owner Arraigned in $1M Comp Fraud Case
Sep 16 2024 // Los Angeles area vocational school owner, Guillermo Frias, 65, of Paramount, and the school’s accounting manager, Yesid Colon, 54, of Baldwin Park, were arraigned following a California Department of Insurance...
FBI: From Cybercrime to Terrorism, America Faces Many Elevated Threats ‘All at Once’
Sep 16 2024 // The country is facing heightened threats from many corners at a time when law enforcement agencies are struggling, FBI Director Christopher Wray said in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, adding that he is...
Study Stirs Debate on Real Impact of Litigation, Fraud on Property Insurance
Sep 12 2024 // An academic paper published in the Journal of Insurance Regulation seems to have rekindled the debate over how much of an impact litigation and fraud have had on property insurance losses and premiums, particularly in...
State Farm: Catalytic Converter Thefts Drop 74%
Sep 12 2024 // For the second year in a row, State Farm auto claims data has revealed a significant drop in catalytic converter theft claims. There was a 74 % drop for the first half of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. There...
Iowa Hotel Worker Charged With Insurance Fraud
Sep 12 2024 // An Iowa hotel worker was charged with insurance fraud, the Iowa Insurance Division announced Sept. 10. Jose De Jesus Rodriguez Esparza, age 39, was charged with one count of Insurance Fraud – Presenting False...
Germany Cracks Down on China Green Fraud in Deepening Scandal
Sep 6 2024 // German authorities have rejected €18 million ($20 million) worth of carbon credits after finding “irregularities” in China-based projects that were meant to lower emissions. The initiatives, which were run by...
Ex-VW CEO Denies Criminal Charges Over Diesel Emissions Scandal
Sep 5 2024 // Volkswagen AG’s ex-Chief Executive Officer Martin Winterkorn denied duping customers and taking too long to alert markets about diesel-emission cheating, telling a German criminal court he was never properly informed...
Three Charged With Auto Insurance Fraud in Miami After False Injury Claims
Sep 4 2024 // Florida authorities have charged a Miami-area nurse practitioner and two others with creating false medical reports and attempting to defraud an auto insurance carrier out of more than $47,000. Local news reports said that...
Kansas Woman Sentenced to Probation for Insurance Fraud
Sep 4 2024 // Kansas Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt announced an Arkansas City woman has been sentenced to 18 months of probation for insurance fraud. Misty Jane Dial, age 33, pleaded guilty in the District Court of...
How One Florida Engineer Charged Others With Fraudulent Insurance Reports, Testimony
Sep 3 2024 // He’s been called a “do-gooder,” a “troublemaker” and a whistleblower. And he may be the best friend the Florida property insurance industry has. A mechanical engineer based in Edgewater,...
California Legislature Passes Bill to Support Insurance Fraud Detectives
Aug 30 2024 // California lawmakers passed a bill to help close the pay gap between the California Department of Insurance’s fraud detectives and officers in other state agencies. The California Senate and Assembly this week passed...
Vocational School Owner Arraigned in $1M Workers’ Comp Fraud Case
Aug 30 2024 // Los Angeles area vocational school owner, Guillermo Frias, 65, of Paramount, and the school’s accounting manager, Yesid Colon, 54, of Baldwin Park, were arraigned following a California Department of Insurance...
Screwber and Fake GPS: The $40 Million Dollar Ridesharing Fraud Scheme
Aug 30 2024 // Two men have been charged with conducting a six-year scheme in which they allegedly scammed a ridesharing company and customers out of $40 million in fraudulent “surge” fees by selling hacked smartphones and...
Alabama Shipbuilder Austal to Pay $24M to Settle Accounting Fraud Probe
Aug 29 2024 // MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — Austal USA, an Alabama-based shipbuilder that makes vessels for the U.S. Navy, has admitted wrongdoing and agreed to pay a $24 million fine to settle an accounting fraud investigation, the U.S....
Cybercrime and Sabotage Cost German Firms $300 Billion in Past Year
Aug 28 2024 // Cybercrime and other acts of sabotage have cost German companies around 267 billion euros ($298 billion) in the past year, up 29% on the year before, according to a survey published on Wednesday. Industry association...
Michigan Golf Club Pays $440K Settlement for Alleged Fraudulent Pandemic Loan
Aug 28 2024 // RICHLAND, Mich. (AP) — A golf club in southwestern Michigan has agreed to pay $440,000 to settle allegations that it wrongly obtained a loan through a federal program during the COVID-19 pandemic, authorities said...
Kansas Man Sentenced for Securities Fraud
Aug 27 2024 // Kansas Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt announced that a Wichita man has been sentenced to prison for securities fraud. Jesse Wayne Harris, age 36, was sentenced in Sedgwick County District Court on August 20 to 30...
Telegram CEO Held Over Alleged Failure to Stop Crime on App
Aug 27 2024 // Pavel Durov, the chief executive officer of Telegram, has been detained in France over claims that the messaging service failed to properly fight crime on the app, including the spread of child sexual abuse material. The...
FBI: From Cybercrime to Terrorism, America Faces Many Elevated Threats ‘All at Once’
Aug 23 2024 // The country is facing heightened threats from many corners at a time when law enforcement agencies are struggling, FBI Director Christopher Wray said in an exclusive interview, adding that he is “hard pressed to...
WV Volunteer Fire Official Pleads to Insurance Fraud After Burning Down His Home
Aug 23 2024 // A former West Virginia volunteer fire official is awaiting sentencing after he admitted to setting fire to his home, filing an insurance claim, and using the fire department’s credit card for personal gain. Donald A....
