Latest Fraud Headlines

Maryland Woman Sentenced in Hurricane Katrina Theft

Apr 15 2009 // The U.S. Attorney’s Office says a former Maryland resident has been sentenced for stealing $60,200 in Hurricane Katrina disaster relief benefits. Forty-two-year-old Schewanda Baptiste, formerly of Waldorf, was...

Las Vegas Police Say Task Force Curbing Car Thefts

Apr 15 2009 // Las Vegas police say a push to curb auto thefts is behind a big drop in the number of vehicles stolen in southern Nevada. A report by the National Insurance Crime Bureau said that Clark County had the seventh-most cars...

Overall Thefts Cool, But California Remains Top Spot for Vehicle Thefts

Apr 13 2009 // The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) reported that 2008 marked the nation’s fifth consecutive year of declining vehicle thefts in the United States. Although most areas experienced a reduction in vehicle theft,...

Georgia Charges Tennessee Trucking Insurance Agent with $2.6 Million Fraud

Apr 10 2009 // A Chattanooga, Tenn. insurance agent has been charged with insurance fraud and theft for allegedly adding commissions to policies when he told policyholders that the coverage was being sold on a net basis — with a...

Anti-Fraud Group Urges Maine to Fight Insurance Fraud

Apr 9 2009 // An national advocacy group is urging lawmakers in Maine to create an insurance fraud bureau. The Pine Tree State, according to the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud, has the highest per-capita rate of insurance fraud in...

U.S. Judge Halts Washington Mutual Fraud Lawsuit

Apr 7 2009 // A federal judge on Monday halted a consumer class-action fraud lawsuit against Washington Mutual Inc, saying it may be more appropriate for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp to handle claims against the failed savings and...

Apr 6 2009 // $930,000 Total amount of fines and restitution paid by Boston-based Liberty Mutual Insurance Cos. after a market conduct exam by the Connecticut Insurance Department. The report found five Liberty Mutual subsidiaries had...

It Figures

Apr 6 2009 // $109 Million The amount Ernst & Young LLP has agreed to pay to HealthSouth Corp. shareholders who sued the firm for failing to detect an accounting fraud involving more than a dozen executives, according to papers...

Liaisons Highlight Consumer Insurance Concerns

Apr 6 2009 // Consumer Advocates Focus on How Insurers Treat Insureds in Difficult Economic, Credit Climate Insurance agents, brokers and regulators should be aware that when it comes to insurance, consumers are concerned with such...

Connecticut Cigarette Theft Estimated at $1M

Apr 1 2009 // Connecticut police say that a weekend theft of cigarettes from a Milford warehouse is now estimated to be worth about $1 million. Police say the thieves who broke into Montano Cigarettes, Candy & Tobacco Inc. stole...

Ex-AIG Worker Sentenced to 1 Year in Prison for $500K Theft

Mar 27 2009 // A federal judge in Delaware has sentenced a former AIG employee who stole nearly $500,000 over four years to a year and a day in prison Stacey Baisden, who pleaded guilty to mail fraud last year, apologized in court...

New Hampshire Man Faces Fraud Charge for Keeping Premiums

Mar 27 2009 // Court records show that a business owner in Hudson, New Hampshire faces a federal wire fraud charge alleging that he stole roughly $100,000 from a client. Scott Drohan, owner of Juskel Services, was released on personal...

Ex-Louisiana Citizens Insurance CEO Wants Fraud Case Moved

Mar 27 2009 // The former CEO of Louisiana’s state-backed insurance company wants the criminal case against him moved from East Baton Rouge to Jefferson Parish. Terry Lisotta’s lawyer, David Courcelle, said the fraud case...

Ernst & Young to Pay $109 Million to Settle Alabama Fraud Suit

Mar 27 2009 // Ernst & Young LLP has agreed to pay $109 million to HealthSouth Corp. shareholders who sued the firm for failing to detect an accounting fraud involving more than a dozen executives. According to papers filed in...

N.H. Receives Lowest Crime Ranking; Nevada Ranks as Worst State

Mar 25 2009 // Three northeast states have the lowest crime rate, while Nevada, Louisiana and South Carolina have the highest crime rate, according to a new study. New Hampshire (1) received the lowest crime rate ranking again this year,...

Mississippi Buyers Caught In Stolen Car Scam Must Return Vehicles

Mar 24 2009 // Normally, a 2008 BMW M3 or 3 Series sedan in excellent condition would sell for between $35,000 and $42,000 in a private party transaction, depending on mileage and equipment. For some Jones County buyer who possibly...

As Credit Scores Fall, Criticism of Insurers’ Credit Scoring Rises

Mar 23 2009 // With consumers’ credit scores dropping as lenders tighten credit terms, insurance consumer advocates are stepping up their criticism of the use of credit scores by insurance companies. They are also warning insurers...

It Figures

Mar 23 2009 // 0.08 Legislation that would lower the legal blood alcohol concentration limit for the offense of boating under the influence from 0.10 percent to 0.08 percent has been approved by the Oklahoma Senate. The measure also...

How Consumer Reps Feel About Internet Sales, State Regulation

Mar 23 2009 // Consumer Advisors See Pros and Cons to Internet; Role of Independent Agent Clouded By Commissions Insurance Journal spoke with some of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) consumer liaisons and found...

North Carolina Charges Man Involved in 36 Crashes with Insurance Fraud

Mar 23 2009 // North Carolina officials have arrested an Indiana man and charged him with allegedly filing more than $10,000 in false claims related to 11 crashes between December 2005 and June 2008. North Carolina Insurance Commissioner...