The PI Chronicles: Five Things Not to Do When on an Insurance Claim
Based on my years of experience as a Surveillance Specialist in Ontario.
As I sit in the back of a tinted van; cramped, sweating and having to pee like crazy, I wonder what is it that possesses a person to submit or participate in a fraudulent insurance claim. Motor vehicle accidents, workplace accidents, long term illness and disability, you name it, I’ve investigated it. They call me a surveillance specialist, I watch people on claim; I watch them do the strangest things when they think there’s no one watching.
Most commonly are people claiming that injuries caused by car accidents or workplace accidents are so severe that they can no longer work, gainfully or otherwise. I would accept that claim, were it not so common for me to go out and find these same people working anyway; which brings us to the first no-no:
1) If you claim you cannot work…don’t work.
The single fastest way to get caught cheating your insurance company, is to claim you can’t work and then continue merrily on your working way. Quite often when I’m assigned a file, I can tell whether the person is continuing to work or not, just based on the minimal information in the claim.
No, I’m not psychic. People are just predictable. Through the process of submitting a claim for injuries etc, there’s a very real chance that you will never meet anyone from the actual insurance company. Right off the bat your experience with them is faceless and almost anonymous (well, from your side at least, but trust me, they know who you are!) How easy is it to cheat a faceless entity that seemingly gives out money for the asking? That detachment can lead you to believe that no one is watching; you couldn’t be more wrong.
You might even justify defrauding your insurance company through the simple exaggeration of your injuries. Its a little white lie, where’s the harm? Your back hurts, it limits your mobility…a little bit. Why not tell the insurance company that you can barely walk? Because the truth of the matter is, when I arrive at your home, hiding in my specially equipped vehicle, toting my high tech cameras and other gadgets and using the years of training and experience at my disposal, I’ll quickly see that not only can you walk just fine, you can carry groceries, do yard work, wash the car and play with the kids or dog in full view of everyone on the front lawn; enter no-no number two:
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