Latest Fraud Headlines

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

Insurer Not Liable for $200K Georgia Fire Claim After Agent Premium Theft

Nov 16 2020 // A property insurer is off the hook for a $200,000 claim against a policy that it canceled, leaving a lawsuit filed against a former insurance agent who was arrested for pocketing premiums as the only apparent recourse...

Causey Re-Elected as North Carolina Insurance Commissioner

Nov 16 2020 // Incumbent Mike Causey, a Republican, has defeated Democrat Wayne Goodwin in the third rematch between the two candidates for the position of North Carolina Insurance Commissioner.The Associated Press reported Wednesday...

Ex-Federal Worker Pleads Guilty to Disability Benefits Fraud

Nov 12 2020 // A former Federal Air Marshal employee pleaded guilty Tuesday to fraudulently collecting nearly a quarter of a million dollars in government disability benefits while owning and operating a martial arts business in Rhode...

Iowa Agent Charged with Insurance Fraud

Nov 10 2020 // An Iowa insurance agent has been charged with one count each of Insurance Fraud (Class D Felony), Fraudulent Sales Practices – Over $10,000 (Class C Felony), Theft – 2nd degree (Class D Felony), Fraudulent Practices...

Task Force Nabs California Man for Insurance Fraud, Reporting False Vehicle Theft

Nov 10 2020 // Juan Camilo Vargas, 62, of Escondido, Calif., was arrested on multiple felony counts of insurance fraud and reporting a false vehicle theft after allegedly misrepresenting when and where his vehicle was stolen from in...

Indiana Retailer Says Limited-Edition Guitars Worth $95K Stolen at Truck Stop

Nov 9 2020 // An Indiana retailer of musical instruments is seeking the public’s help after a pallet of limited-edition guitars worth tens of thousands of dollars were stolen from a suburban Indianapolis truck stop.Sweetwater...

N.Y. Man Charged with Insurance Fraud for Tow Yard Arson Causing $100K in Damages

Nov 9 2020 // A New York man has been charged with arson and other crimes after allegedly setting fire to vehicles in a tow yard and filing an insurance claim to collect the cash.Egor Spiridonov, of Broad Channel, Queens, has been...

Former Subway Conductor Charged for Allegedly Stealing $114K from NYC Transit

Nov 6 2020 // A former New York City Transit subway conductor has been arraigned on an indictment in which he is charged with grand larceny and other crimes for allegedly stealing approximately $114,000 in workers’ compensation...

Michigan Insurance Agent Charged with $375K Client Theft

Nov 5 2020 // A Howell, Michigan, insurance agent has been charged with embezzlement and conducting a criminal enterprise, among other felonies, according to state Attorney General Dana Nessel.Alicia Holbrook-Bloink is accused of taking...

Causey Re-Elected as North Carolina Insurance Commissioner

Nov 5 2020 // Incumbent Mike Causey, a Republican, has defeated Democrat Wayne Goodwin in the third rematch between the two candidates for the position of North Carolina Insurance Commissioner.The Associated Press reported Wednesday...

New Jersey Man Charged for Fraudulent Insurance Claim After DWI Wreck

Nov 3 2020 // A Roselle, N.J., man has been criminally charged with filing a fraudulent insurance claim for repairs on a luxury vehicle he wrecked while intoxicated earlier this year, acting Union County Prosecutor Lyndsay V. Ruotolo...

Disbarred New York Attorney Pleads Guilty to Stealing 9/11 Victim Compensation Funds

Nov 2 2020 // A disbarred attorney based in Yorktown Heights, N.Y., has pled guilty in White Plains federal court to stealing government funds.Gustavo L. Vila’s plea results from his theft of approximately $1 million that the U.S....

Candidates in Hotly Contested North Carolina Insurance Race Talk Scandal, Priorities

Nov 2 2020 // The race for the next North Carolina Insurance Commissioner features two familiar faces to state voters in what is a three-peat showdown featuring Republican Mike Causey and Democrat Wayne Goodwin.Causey, the incumbent,...

Ex-Police Chief in Washington Turned Pinup Model Charged with Workers’ Comp Fraud

Nov 2 2020 // A Snohomish County, Wash., woman faces two charges of making false or misleading statements to collect more than $67,000 in workers’ compensation benefits from the Washington State Department of Labor &...

California Street Racer Charged with Auto Insurance Fraud, Grand Theft

Oct 29 2020 // Michael Lynn Cooper, 55, of Ontario, Calif., was charged with multiple felony counts of insurance fraud and grand theft after allegedly misrepresenting the facts of a collision to his insurance company to receive a payout...

California Claims Adjuster and Chiropractor Arrested in $1.6M Operation

Oct 28 2020 // Claims adjuster, Agop Sarafian, 65, of La Crescenta, Calif., and chiropractor, Shahe Topjian, D.C. 65, of Granada Hills, Calif., were arrested on felony insurance fraud charges after allegedly conspiring to defraud...

Insurer Off the Hook in $200K Georgia House Fire Claim Due to Agent Premium Theft

Oct 27 2020 // A property insurer is off the hook for a $200,000 claim against a policy that it canceled, leaving a lawsuit filed against a former insurance agent who was arrested for pocketing premiums as the only apparent recourse...

North Carolina Agency Owner Sentenced to 5.5 Years for $400K Loan Scheme

Oct 22 2020 // A North Carolina insurance agent has been sentenced to 5.5 years in prison in federal court after being found guilty of orchestrating a $400,000 fraudulent loan scheme involving insurance premiums, according to the U.S....

California Trucking Firm Owners Charged in Alleged $450K Workers’ Comp Fraud

Oct 22 2020 // Trucking company owners Hardip Singh, 44, and Amandeep Kaur, 36, were charged this week with multiple counts of insurance fraud after allegedly misclassifying employees as independent contractors in a scheme to underreport...

Cryptocurrency Exchange Bitstamp Adds Lloyd’s-Backed Crime Insurance Policy

Oct 22 2020 // Bitstamp, a cryptocurrency exchange, has expanded the insurance offered to its customers with an additional crime insurance policy.The crime insurance policy is offered by specialist insurance brokers, Paragon...