Latest Fraud Headlines
All the headlines from our Fraud Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Offers Commercial Crime Cover in Asia Market
Dec 2 2019 // Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance (BHSI) announced that it is introducing Commercial Crime Insurance in Asia, a new policy designed to help companies address the exposures of a changing fraud landscape. BHSI’s...
Opioid Makers, Distributors Could Face U.S. Criminal Charges
Nov 27 2019 // Federal prosecutors are investigating six pharmaceutical companies for potential criminal charges in connection with shipping big quantities of opioid painkillers that contributed to a healthcare crisis, according to...
Germany’s Green Vault Museum Finds It’s Uninsured for $1 Billion Theft of Jewels
Nov 27 2019 // A day after burglars made off with priceless jewels from a German museum, pressure is growing on police to find the culprits. One big reason: The diamond-encrusted dagger, pearl necklace, and dozens of other glittering...
Online Scams Are Catching Newly Vulnerable Icelanders Unprepared
Nov 26 2019 // “Hi, I hope you are not busy?” The treasurer of the Icelandic soccer club Afturelding got the email from his manager late in the afternoon, soon before banks were about to close. The words “Sent from my...
Florida Investigating Attorney Charged with Lawsuit Fraud
Nov 26 2019 // The Florida Bar has opened an investigation of a New York lawyer who it says may have been practicing in Florida without a license. The Bar’s investigation of Stuart Finkelstein stems from federal charges this week...
Florida Woman Found Guilty of Hurricane Irma Relief Fraud
Nov 25 2019 // A Florida woman has been convicted of fraudulently obtaining Hurricane Irma disaster relief money. Court records show that 37-year-old Karen Latrice Houston was convicted by a jury in Tampa federal court this week of three...
Report Says Connecticut Has Highest Number of Metal Theft Claims in U.S.
Nov 21 2019 // A new report says Connecticut has had the most metal theft insurance claims in the country. The National Insurance Crime Bureau issued a report recently that found that Connecticut had the most metal theft insurance claims...
Minnesota Businessman Pleads Guilty in Labor Trafficking, Insurance Fraud Case
Nov 20 2019 // A businessman accused of insurance fraud and exploitation of his construction workers has pleaded guilty as his trial was about to start in Minneapolis. The Minnesota Department of Commerce reported that Ricardo Ernesto...
N.J. Man Sentenced to 150 Months in Prison for Insurance Fraud, Drug Distribution
Nov 18 2019 // An Atlantic City, N.J., man was sentenced to 150 months in prison for selling more than 200 grams of crystal methamphetamine and for staging a fake robbery of a Union County, N.J., pawnshop for the purpose of perpetrating...
Alabama Court Allows Workers Comp Suit Against AIG, Coventry
Nov 18 2019 // An Alabama appellate court has cleared the way for a lawsuit that alleges outrageous and fraudulent conduct by American International Group and Coventry against a worker who was injured in an explosion and sought...
U.S. Attorney: Oklahoma Man Sentenced for Stealing Almost $370K from Employer
Nov 15 2019 // A Tulsa, Oklahoma, man was sentenced to 15 months in prison and ordered to repay nearly $370,000 after being found guilty of stealing from his employer. Ernest Everette Howard, 49, of Tulsa, must $368,329.61 in...
Best’s Report Sees Identity Theft Becoming Standalone Personal Cyber Insurance
Nov 15 2019 // The role of identity theft insurance as a supplemental product could evolve as personal cyber risks become more of a threat as technology proliferates further into individuals’ lives, according to a new A.M. Best...
FBI Warns on Rise in Sophisticated Cyber Crimes
Nov 14 2019 // On Dec. 14, 2018, Aaron Cole was about to buy a new house and received an email that he thought was from his title company, directing him to make a $123,000 deposit. Cole complied, not realizing that a sophisticated hacker...
Ringleader of Family Arson Crew in California Pleads Guilty in $4M Operation
Nov 13 2019 // Tyler Chen, 48, pleaded guilty this week in the Santa Clara County Superior Court in California following his arrest on multiple felony counts of insurance fraud and arson for his role in setting fires in a $4 million...
Texas Insurance Industry, Local Police Team Up for Vehicle Crime Prevention
Nov 8 2019 // Auto burglaries and thefts affect over 250,000 motorists each year in Texas resulting in more than $1 billion in losses according to the Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority (MVPCA). Now through a program sponsored by...
Ex-Tennessee Agent Indicted On More Than 70 Charges, Accused of Premium Theft
Nov 8 2019 // A former insurance agent, political campaign treasurer and Tennessee Republican Party committeewoman, is accused of stealing from her father’s campaign and pocketing insurance money from policyholders who used her...
South Carolina Man Arrested for Stealing $700K from 10 HOAs
Nov 7 2019 // Authorities in South Carolina say a man has been accused of stealing more than $700,000 from 10 separate homeowners associations. News outlets report 39-year-old Nicholas Galipeau turned himself in Wednesday and was...
Ohio Woman Ordered to Repay $41K After Workers’ Comp Fraud Conviction
Nov 5 2019 // A Cincinnati, Ohio, woman must repay the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) nearly $41,000 after being convicted of workers’ compensation fraud. The BWC reported that Michelle D. Smith, 57, pleaded...
Georgia Mother, Son Accused of Stealing $3M from Beer Distributor Employer
Nov 5 2019 // Authorities say a mother and son who worked for a Georgia alcohol distributor embezzled more than $3 million from their employer over a decade. Sheriff’s investigators in Bibb County, Georgia, arrested 72-year-old...
New York Man Charged with Insurance Fraud After False Stolen Vehicle Claim
Nov 5 2019 // A 36-year-old Queens, N.Y., man has been charged with insurance fraud, attempted grand larceny and other crimes for allegedly claiming his McLaren sports car had been stolen and filing a false insurance claim in an attempt...
