For claims professionals, social media has become a treasure trove of evidence to help investigate and defeat fraudulent claims.
Insureds don't seem to understand that if you're claiming that you damaged your car on the freeway, you shouldn't post pictures on YouTube of you actually crashing it while engaging in risky behavior.
|Loss of Corvette
Robert Atlas reported to GEICO that he had crashed his 2012 Corvette Stingray while exiting the I-10 freeway, on the exit ramp at Wild Horse Pass in Chandler, Ariz. Atlas was paid $61,465 by GEICO for the loss of his Corvette.
It was later discovered that on Oct. 10, 2015, Atlas had actually raced his Corvette Stingray in a drag race at a drag racing event at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park. He subsequently lost control of his car during the race and crashed into the concrete barrier totaling the Corvette.
|Drag racing exclusion
The crash was captured on a Go-Pro video and published on YouTube. The policy does not cover damage caused to the vehicle if it was involved in drag racing. Atlas was later shown the video footage, and he admitted to making the false claim to GEICO Insurance.
On Jan. 25, 2017 Atlas pled guilty to insurance fraud and as required by the plea agreement he paid the entire amount of restitution back to GEICO prior to sentencing. He was sentenced to two years supervised probation and was assessed $1,560 in court costs.
The case was investigated by the Arizona Department of Insurance Fraud Unit and prosecuted by the Arizona Attorney General's Office.
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Rosalie Donlon
Rosalie Donlon is the editor in chief of ALM's insurance and tax publications, including NU Property & Casualty magazine and NU PropertyCasualty360.com. You can contact her at [email protected].
