A bribe, an allegedly stolen motorcycle and a staged accident ring are among the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia’s (ICBC) Top 5 frauds of 2008. ICBC also announced yesterday that fraud exaggeration cost each of its 3.1 million customers an estimated $100 to $150 a year.
Last year’s top scams:
- In September 2008 a court awarded ICBC more than $369,000 after 22 people worked together to set up 12 intentional crashes dating back to 1995.
- A Vancouver woman who failed her written and driving test three times each put two $100 bills on her driver instructor’s seat, claiming it was a “tip,” not a bribe.
- An Abbotsford man reported his motorcycle stolen but investigators discovered that the motorcycle had actually been abandoned weeks before the alleged theft.
- A man claimed he was unable to work or drive due to injuries he received during an accident, but a surveillance tape not only showed that he was working and driving but also lifting heavy boxes and equipment.
- A young man from Kelowna admitted that he crashed his grandmother’s car after first claiming it was a hit-and-run.
