A new study from ICBC shows 47 percent of people believe auto insurance fraud is an acceptable practice.
In BC, 79 per cent believe up to half of all claims contain an element of fraud, and 54 per cent have heard stories from others who have submitted a fraudulent claim.
“It’s disturbing to hear from our customers that they feel our society has gotten to a point where committing fraud is simply accepted,” said Chris Fairbridge, manager of ICBC’s Special Investigations Unit. “To us, small lies and the exaggeration of truth are serious offenses and will not be tolerated. B.C. drivers are financially impacted by every case of insurance fraud, and we need the public’s help to identify and report fraud as soon as they suspect it.”
Last year, an investigation of 16,000 suspected cases resulted in 54 per cent of those containing some form of fraud.
The most common claims ICBC sees are exaggeration to injuries or damage to a vehicle, claiming old damage, and inability to work despite fully recovering from an accident.
exaggerated claims make up 10 to 20 per cent of all cost, resulting in an added 100 dollars to everyone’s annual insurance bill.
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