Fraudulent Arson and Theft Car Insurance Claims Rising in California

According to the Orange County Register, there has been a 31% increase in the number of fraudulent arson car insurance claims in the state of California. In 2007, 16 vehicle arson fraud cases were reported and in 2008 that number jumped to 18.

As for vehicle theft car insurance claims, there was approximately more than 200 suspected fraudulent claims filed in California in 2008 than in 2007.

Darrell Ng, a spokesman for California's Department of Insurance says there are some tell tale signs that a vehicle arson or theft car insurance claim may be fraudulent. Ng says "a lot of times, stories won't make sense, they'll give conflicting statements or give some other sort of indication (that they're lying)."

In California, one of the more common fraudulent car theft insurance claims scenarios involves the owner having a friend drive the vehicle across the border to Mexico while the owner reports the car stolen.

California's Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner says fraudulent vehicle arson and theft insurance claims are being investigated very diligently. "Department of Insurance investigators have seen an increase in suspected automobile arson and theft fraud case recently, and our enforcement experts are working hard to crack down on anyone attempting to skirt the law for financial gain."

Written by Gabriel Dorman
gabedorman@gmail.com
www.criminaldefenseduilawyer.com/blog/