Latest Fraud Headlines

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

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....

Lawyer Says Alabama Agent Trying to Clean Up Ex-Employees’ Fraud

Jun 24 2009 // The lawyer for a Gulf Shores insurance agent has asked state officials to grant her a probation period to allow her to make repayments to customers victimized by fraud. Richard Lively said that revoking the license of...

Louisiana Agent Accused of Fraud

Jun 23 2009 // A Baton Rouge, La., insurance agent has been arrested, served with a cease and desist order, summary suspension order and fine notice for alleged fraud. Henry Leo Beard, Jr., 36, was arrested by agents with the Louisiana...

HealthSouth CEO Scrushy Ordered to Pay Shareholders $2.9 Billion

Jun 22 2009 // An Alabama state judge has ordered former HealthSouth CEO Richard Scrushy to pay nearly $2.9 billion to shareholders who sued over a massive accounting fraud that nearly sent the rehabilitation chain into...

Arkansas Agent Arrested on Fraud Charges

Jun 22 2009 // Arkansas Insurance Commissioner Jay Bradford announced the arrest of Rickey Lynn Warren of Hensley, a former a licensed insurance agent charged with insurance fraud. Warren is accused with taking checks totaling $2,125 for...

Former General Re Executive Given Probation

Jun 18 2009 // A former business executive was sentenced Tuesday to two years of probation for his role in an accounting scandal that cost shareholders of insurer American International Group Inc. more than $500 million. John...

Officials Looking to Catch Few Bad Apples Among P/C Insurance Agents

Jun 17 2009 // Those who track insurance criminals for a living say that as the economy has worsened, insurance fraud has been on the rise– and they are on the alert for any jump in fraud by property/casualty agents and...

Finding Fraudsters

Jun 15 2009 // Insurance fraud has become a nationwide problem, and experts say it’s a problem that has the potential to get worse as people look for ways to cut down on their expenses as the economy tightens. “The special...

Insurance in Times of Financial Crisis

Jun 15 2009 // Legal Issues To Be Aware Of With EPL, D&O and Fiduciary Liability Insurance The current financial crisis affects almost every aspect of our business life — that includes insurance. Businesses need to be wise...

California Senate Passes Insurance Fraud Bill

Jun 15 2009 // The California Senate has passed SB 156 to authorize the Department of Insurance or a district attorney to convene meetings with an insurance company to discuss a specific insurance fraud and would provide that any person...