Insurance agent Francois Noel, 46, of North Miami, Fla. has been banned from selling insurance in Florida, after he sold a fraudulent certificate of insurance to a woman who was subsequently injured in a car accident.
“My heart goes out to this victim,” said Tom Gallagher, Florida’s CFO. “She sustained serious injuries in a car crash and learned from a hospital bed that the insurance she paid for was bogus. It is reprehensible to me that this poor victim is facing unpaid medical bills and lost wages as a result of this agent’s actions.”
Investigators from the Department of Financial Services found that Noel not only took money for coverage he did not place with an insurance company, he was not even authorized to sell insurance for the company from which he wrote the phony certificate. An appeal of the charges to a state court has been denied.
“This is a tragic reminder that it may not be enough to review the documents, consumers need to follow up with the insurance company to ensure coverage is in place,” Gallagher said. “He also advised consumers, never pay in cash and never write a check to the insurance agent or agency. Always make the check payable to the insurance company that will provide the coverage.”
Topics Agencies
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