ICBC cracks down on fraud" — April 29
Maple Ridge driver pleads guilty
A Maple Ridge Driver has pleaded guilty to fraud after a false and misleading statement led to a claims payout from ICBC of more than $23,000.
"ICBC has a zero tolerance policy when it comes to fraud", says Mike Chicoine, ICBC's manager of fraud prevention & ; investigation. "When people steal from ICBC it has a direct impact on the cost of auto insurance. We owe it to our customers to take all fraud very seriously."
In May 2003, Daniel Wiens of Maple Ridge, was involved in a single vehicle crash that resulted in his vehicle being written off. Wiens reported the claim to ICBC on May 21, stating that crash occurred on May 16 and that the police did not attend. The adjuster checked his coverage for the date of loss and found that the insurance coverage was in order. Wiens was paid for the loss of his vehicle receiving a cheque for $23,414.50.
"Everything looked normal until it was later discovered through a routine audit of tow bills that the dates did not match with the claimants statement," says ICBC special investigation unit officer, Don Jette. "After further investigation we found that the crash actually occurred on May 9th. At the time of the crash Wiens did not have collision coverage on his truck, but purchased the coverage two hours after the collision."
Wiens was later interviewed and once all the evidence was presented to him, admitted to the fraud. He repaid $20,000 the same day.
He also faced criminal charges and appeared in court on February 19, 2004 where he pleaded guilty and received a fine of $2,000, plus a Victim Surcharge of $300 and was ordered to repay the remaining $3,414.50.
Anyone with information on a suspicious, exaggerated or fraudulent claim is encouraged to phone the ICBC Tips Line at 604-661-6844.
For more information contact:
Doug Henderson 604-982-1332
