Latest Fraud Headlines
All the headlines from our Fraud Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Ex-West Virginia Mayor Pleads Guilty to Stealing Flood Relief Funds
Aug 6 2021 // A former mayor in West Virginia has pleaded guilty to stealing federal relief funds meant to rebuild his city after a massive 2016 flood. Ex-Richwood Mayor Bob Henry Baber, 70, pleaded guilty Monday in Nicholas County...
Texas Awards $13.6M in Grants to Fight Motor Vehicle Crime
Aug 4 2021 // Communities across Texas are sharing $13.6 million in grant funding aimed at reducing and preventing motor vehicle crime in the state. The Texas Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority (MVCPA) grants provide support for...
Louisiana Doctor Pleads Guilty to Workers’ Comp Fraud, Conspiracy
Aug 4 2021 // A Lake Charles, Louisiana, orthopedic surgeon pleaded guilty to workers’ compensation fraud conspiracy, the U.S. Justice Department reported. Robert Dale Bernauer Sr., 74, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to...
California Landscaper Arraigned for Alleged Workers’ Comp Fraud
Aug 4 2021 // Frank Simplicio, 45, of Porter Ranch, Calif., was arraigned on multiple felony counts of insurance fraud and perjury. A California Department of Insurance investigation revealed Simplicio allegedly claimed to be too...
State, Federal Regulatory Enforcement a Focus as Cyber Crime Grows
Aug 4 2021 // Powered by InsuranceJournal.tv As ransomware attacks are on the rise and cyber risks continue to mount, experts say there has been “a paradigm shift in cybersecurity enforcement.” That’s according to Matt...
Crime App Citizen Offers to Connect Users to Its ‘Protect Agents’
Aug 4 2021 // U.S. crime alert app Citizen is launching its first paid feature, offering subscribers access to a live safety agent when they are in “stressful or uncertain situations.” Citizen uses crowd-sourced content and...
Ex-Boston Police Department Auto Repair Worker Will Plead Guilty to Fraud Scheme
Aug 4 2021 // A former Boston Police Department auto repair technician has agreed to plead guilty to a scheme to embezzle more than $260,000 from the department in auto parts and supplies, federal prosecutors said. Bahram Gharony bought...
Jury Convicts Suspended Georgia Commissioner Beck on Fraud, Laundering Charges
Aug 2 2021 // Jurors convicted suspended Georgia insurance commissioner Jim Beck on 37 counts of mail fraud, wire fraud and money laundering and tax fraud charges. The jury needed about an hour and 20 minutes to return the guilty...
Texas Doctor Convicted of Workers’ Comp Fraud, Drug Crimes
Jul 30 2021 // A North Texas doctor will pay $376,368 in restitution after pleading guilty to mail fraud conspiracy in federal court, the Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation reported. Clinton Battle...
Cyber Criminals Target Remote Workers and ‘Critical Infrastructure to Corner Stores’
Jul 30 2021 // The share of policyholders who filed a cyberattack claim jumped by 50% from the first half of 2020 compared to the first half of 2021, according to a new report by cyber insurer Coalition. An increasing number of attacks...
Anti-Fraud Tech Company FRISS Raises $65 Million to Fund Expansion
Jul 30 2021 // FRISS, a provider of AI-focused fraud prevention and detection products for P/C insurers, raised $65 million to help it carve out new product lines and market reach. The company said it serves insurers in more than 40...
Car-Sharing Firm Getaround Settles Over Tax Bill, Customer Damage and Thefts
Jul 27 2021 // Getaround Inc. will pay $950,000 to Washington, D.C. and revise its business practices after allegations that it misrepresented the benefits and nature of its car sharing services and failed to pay city sales taxes,...
Jury Convicts Suspended Georgia Commissioner Beck on Fraud, Laundering Charges
Jul 22 2021 // Jurors convicted suspended Georgia insurance commissioner Jim Beck on 37 counts of mail fraud, wire fraud and money laundering and tax fraud charges. The jury needed about an hour and 20 minutes to return the guilty...
Suspended Georgia Insurance Commissioner Jim Beck Takes Stand at Fraud Trial
Jul 22 2021 // Georgia’s suspended insurance commissioner testified at his federal fraud trial Tuesday, saying he oversaw valuable work for his former employer and that hundreds of thousands of dollars that flowed to an entity he...
Insurers’ Own Infrastructure Could Be Next Targets of Cyber Criminals
Jul 19 2021 // As “the next digital pandemic,” cyber risks are increasingly becoming a problem for insurers themselves, according to an industry expert. With “a lack of controls at [an] insurer, [you] could have...
California Drivers Charged After Text Messages Detail Alleged Fraud Scheme
Jul 19 2021 // Maricela Pantjoa Vidrio, 31, of Fairfield, Calif., and Areshma Kiran, 35, of Sacramento, Calif., were charged on multiple felony counts of insurance fraud after allegedly conspiring to misrepresent the facts following an...
17 More Arraigned in $822K California Auto Insurance Fraud Ring
Jul 16 2021 // Another 17 defendants were arraigned for their alleged involvement in an organized auto insurance fraud ring in California in which dealers reportedly purchased damaged vehicles and then filed inflated claims and even...
New York Man Arrested for Insurance Fraud Following Criminal Investigation
Jul 16 2021 // A New York man has been arrested for insurance fraud in the second degree following a year-long criminal investigation. On January 28, 2020, the Ellenville Fire Department requested the Ulster County Fire Investigation...
7 Indicted in Ohio for Alleged Insurance Fraud, Criminal Enterprise
Jul 15 2021 // A grand jury in Ohio’s Mahoning County on July 6 indicted seven people accused of taking part in a criminal enterprise that burned buildings and faked burglaries to fraudulently collect more than a million dollars...
Texas Medical Equipment Company Owners Convicted of $27M Fraud
Jul 13 2021 // The Dallas-area owners and operators of two durable medical equipment companies have been convicted on insurance fraud and money laundering charges, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas...
