Insurance Fraud?

[hottyscotty]

Today my father received a letter from a insurance company claiming he was the cause of a motor vehicle back in October 2007 at Mays Hill. My father works in the transport industry and the only area he delivers is Bankstown. Therefore, he couldn't have been in Mays Hill.

The letter that was sent contained the only detail of the street and suburb. No name, time, vehicle involved or the cost of the damage was given. He has rang our insurance company but no help there.

Has anyone been in the same situation? really want avoid the courts if possible.

Seems like the person had an accident and just came up with any information to make a fraudulent claim

[Flightmanager]

This has happened once to me , I just forwarded a letter to the insurance company saying I had no knowledge of the event.

The insurance company should at the very least provide you with the alleged details , time of event , make of vehicle and registration number. Sounds like a fishing expedition to me, I would make no admissions until I had received legal advice on the matter .

Ross

[Andy Loops]

Why not respond thanking them for their honesty and explain very politely that your Ferrari will need to be repaired ASAP?

[wonniefisho]

Yes, I'd be asking for more details, including a police and witness reports.

If you were supposedly involved in a failure to stop accident, you might ask also why the police haven't paid you a visit (although if its anything like our local they are probably too busy eating donuts).

You might like to consider a trip to your local chamber magistrate to get their opinion on where you should go next. Unless you get a cranky old so and so, they can be very approachable and helpful.

[pelican]

This may sound stupid but get him to check his number plates. Mates company car had his swapped and police finally caught up with him last month. The car that they had been put on ( same colour and make) had done a few drive throughs at servos well out of town and then some bigger crime they didn't divulge. He has now received notices for bridge tolls , parking fines from 6 weeks before. Police took plates off his car but couldn't return his- what a joke and a mess to sort out and police took some convincing. Lucky he is a sales rep and logs all his visits or would of been hard to prove where he was or wasn't.

Police commented that some very smart guys are taking plates , committing crime and then replacing plates at carpark so it makes the police investigate an innocent party and absorb time. Don't like the sound of smart crims

Was it his insurance company or another one? Co- operate if it is yours but do it via your insurance number not their paperwork. If you are comprehensively or third party insured it is odd they didn't just tell you to send them a copy and then sort it out.

Insurers have been known to go fishing if a full registration ( like last digit) isn't provided by their client so they send out multiple letters and see what happens.They also just get lied to by clients. If you are insured they have access to insurance database and would contact your insurer direct not you Call and ask for more details and let them tell you what type and colour your car is and circumstances in the matter. They can be quicker at processing info than the Police so don't be surprised if police get in contact if there was a reported accident.

Always tempting to do nothing but these things can escalate if not jumped on and got under control.

Hope to hear it is all nothing or an error

Pel

Edited June 30, 2008 by pelican

[hottyscotty]

Yes, I'd be asking for more details, including a police and witness reports.

If you were supposedly involved in a failure to stop accident, you might ask also why the police haven't paid you a visit (although if its anything like our local they are probably too busy eating donuts).

You might like to consider a trip to your local chamber magistrate to get their opinion on where you should go next. Unless you get a cranky old so and so, they can be very approachable and helpful.

are chamber magistrate available at any local courts?

gave their insurance company a call and they couldn't release any details because of privacy issues. they're not releasing any more details other than saying there was an accident on the day and the address.

and if it was a hit and run, the cops would of been at our door much earlier, not 8 months later.

i have been in an accident at fault and the other party's insurance company chased me up with a letter 3 weeks later. not months later. the letter had all the details of my car and their car. so yea this letter seems to be like a fishing expedition.

[donjuarez]

I had the cops show up looking for me once, claiming I was involved in a motor vehicle accident, and had been reported for leaving the scene and not exchaniging details.

Apparently I backed into some guys porsche as I was leaving a parking spot in a part of town I hadn't even parked in!

Never had to speak to the insurers though, I just went to the cops and answered any questions they had about my whereabouts that night, and it was done with. Never heard about it again.. .

Seems like some poor guy can afford a porsche, can aford to damage it, but couldn't afford the repairs so he tried to pin it on some number plate of a car passing (me!).

As suggested above, I'd ask for a police report, and then give your account of the events, and leave the onus on the cops, and the other insurer to prove otherwise...

You'd be surprised how quickly the matter will just evaporate...

AJ

[soft-on]

I was sitting at home once, cops came around.

They asked me my whereabouts of the night before & i said i was in bed. They said can anyone prove that. I said yeah my missus. They then said there is a warrant for my arrest. I aksed them what i had done they then told me that i was in kings cross the night before driving a nissan skyline and had hit a pedestrian!

I was crapping my self. My dad then clicked and backed me up saying that he saw me at home.

The cops then told me that i was there because a witness had said that i was there and i did the crime.

At that point in time they wouldnt tell me who said that, i kicked up a stink and demanded who did they said it was mr ******.

What was funny is that mr ****** was a old mate from years ago.

He was only 17 at the time, i rang his pop who was a old army genral.

His pop rang me back and said it all ok.

His pop dragged his butt down the cops station and made him confess that it was him.

Even though i didnt get in strife i now have a small nitch on my name.

[wonniefisho]

are chamber magistrate available at any local courts?

I'm pretty sure they are. Also these days through Sutherland you can even book a phone interview with the chamber magistrate. Whatever you do, make sure you are home and not gas bagging to your mates on the phone at the said time - its not good to peeve off a magistrate if theres a chance you appear before him later!!

[pelican]

You might want to check this but about 12 months ago Chamber magistrates seem ed to have changed their role and now only state what the process is etc and don't actually give advice like they used to do. I only know this second hand so just check you aren't wasting your time talking to them or find an old one . The old chamber magistrates were good for the community so I hope I am wrong.

[Dezmo]

Today my father received a letter from a insurance company claiming he was the cause of a motor vehicle back in October 2007 at Mays Hill. My father works in the transport industry and the only area he delivers is Bankstown. Therefore, he couldn't have been in Mays Hill.

The letter that was sent contained the only detail of the street and suburb. No name, time, vehicle involved or the cost of the damage was given. He has rang our insurance company but no help there.

Has anyone been in the same situation? really want avoid the courts if possible.

Seems like the person had an accident and just came up with any information to make a fraudulent claim

What has the insurer asked you dad to do next? I would ask them to provide further details.

[hottyscotty]

since my dad works in bankstown, might get him to pop over to the local court there.

the other insurance company won't give any more details other than whats in the letter. they just sent another page to fill in policy number and etc. bloody unsavoury characters, they just hope you'll fill it in and just pretend you've admitted fault.

i can't believe insurance companies can just go find anyone they feel like. i reckon police reports should be compulsory, whether its done on the scene or nearest police station.