In its latest annual report, the New York State Insurance Frauds Bureau noted that cases opened by its workers' compensation unit rose from 445 in 2008 to 717 in 2009. The following are a few examples of workers' compensation fraud committed by New Yorkers in 2010, according to the New York Alliance Against Insurance Fraud (NYAAIF).

• A Red Hook man who received benefits after he swore he could not even walk after a work-related injury was arrested after he was seen painting on a ladder, replacing window shutters, installing an awning, and operating a backhoe.
  
• A Kingston woman who claimed she hurt her back while employed as a housekeeper at a senior citizen's residence was accused of fraudulently accepting workers' compensation benefits after her former employer saw her working in an area fast-food restaurant.
  
• A Suffolk County painter pled guilty to workers' compensation fraud after he failed to disclose the full extent of his business sales and payroll to his insurer.
  
• A Buffalo man who claimed a job-related back injury while working in a salt factory was arrested after a surveillance video showed him repairing a BMW and moving without assistance.
  
• A Hampton Bays contractor was arrested on charges he avoided $70,000 in workers' compensation insurance premium payments by under-reporting his income by hundreds of thousands of dollars.
  
• A Dutchess County man who claimed a workplace injury left him unable to perform work of any kind was arrested after he was observed operating a scrap metal recycling business.

Go to www.fraudny.com for more information on NYAAIF.