The two of them hatched a plan to drive her Mercedes to Mexico, sell it there and then report it stolen so they could collect the insurance money as well as the proceeds from the sale.

They drove the car to El Gato, Mexico, and sold it for $50,000 cash. When she returned home, she reported the car stolen. The adjuster thought it would be a simple claim and filed the paperwork. He ran the VIN number through the National Crime Insurance Bureau (NCIB) database; unfortunately for her, an NCIB agent had spotted the Mercedes in Mexico and added the VIN and tag number to the database. When confronted by the adjuster, she broke down and told the truth, promising never to perpetrate any similar fraud again. The local prosecutor chose not to file the case. The sweet young thing ended up losing her Mercedes and college boy, but Big Daddy decided to keep her around, just in a less expensive Cadillac sedan.

2. The Laws of the Sea

Robert L. Judge, a claims investigator and risk manager, recounts a claim involving a worker on an offshore platform rig in the Gulf of Mexico. The employee was complaining of a back injury, and was taken to a hospital where he was treated and released. The employer also thought he should see an orthopedic specialist, and during the recorded evaluation the employee recounted his work history.

The type of vessel on which the employee worked and was injured actually determined which aspect of maritime law would be applied to his case. “Jack-up” rigs and barge rigs are considered vessels under the Jones Act, a statute that controls coastwise trade in the U.S., regulates which ships may operate in coastal waters and the rules under which they may operate. Platform rigs, which are not considered vessels, are governed by the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA), which provides guidelines for oil and gas exploration.

Originally, the employee said he had been reassigned permanently to the platform rig for five months when he was injured, but had previously been on a jack-up rig—a vessel that falls under the Jones Act. This would enable him to sue his employer and the vessel owner for damages associated with his injuries and allow his attorney to receive 40% of the judgment plus fees as opposed to an award of just fees under OCSLA. The plaintiff claimed he had been working on a jack-up rig, and filed suit under the Jones Act. The permanent reassignment became the crux of the issue, and the judge realized the plaintiff had changed his story. He ruled in favor of the defense, rendering a zero-dollar judgment.

3. It's All in the High Heels

A savvy investigator with Keenan and Regency Investigations was conducting an investigation of a workers' compensation claim when they received some interesting video of the subject. Adonnie Modupe Martin, a high school custodian, apparently had faked an ankle injury in order to collect $28,056 in medical benefits and the same amount in temporary disability benefits.

Martin was caught on tape throwing her crutches into her car and running in stiletto high heels to meet her boyfriend in a public park. She was convicted of one count of workers' comp fraud and ordered to pay restitution of more than $79,000.

4. Ice Bucket Challenge Leads to Fraud Charges