BUSTED!!!!!!
09-21-2002, 03:52 PM
#1
Administrator
Thread Starter
BUSTED!!!!!!
Fraud sting nets 34 arrests
AGENTS: BODY SHOPS FAKED CAR DAMAGE
By Karen de Sá
Mercury News
An undercover agent with a wire duct-taped to his chest had no trouble getting his car illegally cherried-out in the Silicon Valley. What did he want? A candy apple paint job? Some shiny red rims? A custom grille?
Dozens of estimators at auto body shops from Mountain View to Morgan Hill were all too happy to collude in defrauding insurance companies, a law enforcement spokesman said Friday as he announced 34 arrests. One of those arrested even did a little customizing to help beef up a claim: Police filmed him through slats in a fenced-off lot taking a screwdriver to the agent's car, ruining the paint job to get the maximum return from the insurer.
Car owners looking for upgrades will sometimes fake a claim, said California Highway Patrol officer Todd Brown, announcing the results of the nation's largest-ever auto body shop insurance fraud sting. And too often, shop owners will help a car owner do it.
A 28-year-old agent, whose identity is being kept secret for his protection, visited 62 auto body shops over seven months, presenting shop employees with the same sleazy deal: He was ready to file a fraudulent claim, if they'd help. On Friday over lunch with colleagues, the agent celebrated all the cooperation he received from unwitting accomplices in the operation dubbed ``The Fast and the Fraudulent.''
The Regional Auto Theft Task Force has some new pin-ups on its conference room wall -- mug shots of men and women of all ethnicities, from nine cities, who were arrested on felony charges of insurance fraud Thursday. Some of the freshly photographed suspects even split insurance money with the agent.
The agent found shop employees who not only inflated estimates, they also offered spot seminars on how to do just enough damage to pay for upgrades like twinkling strips of tail lights, but not enough to make the job too difficult. ``Take a key, or take a screwdriver, and drag it here, here and here, but don't do the roof,'' one shop employee instructed the agent in a scene captured on videotape.
Insurance companies fed up with suspicious claims prompted the sting.
``Everybody in the body shop business'' knows the telltale signs, Brown explained: a scratch on every single car panel (to get an entirely new paint job, not just a patch-up); an expensive, recently purchased car stereo ``stolen'' by neat wire trims cops call ``a surgical strip.'' ``Owner give-ups,'' which Brown summed up as, ``You get behind on a payment or you can't afford your car anymore, so you make it disappear.''................
ENTIRE ARTICLE
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/bayarea/...cal/4121840.htm
AGENTS: BODY SHOPS FAKED CAR DAMAGE
By Karen de Sá
Mercury News
An undercover agent with a wire duct-taped to his chest had no trouble getting his car illegally cherried-out in the Silicon Valley. What did he want? A candy apple paint job? Some shiny red rims? A custom grille?
Dozens of estimators at auto body shops from Mountain View to Morgan Hill were all too happy to collude in defrauding insurance companies, a law enforcement spokesman said Friday as he announced 34 arrests. One of those arrested even did a little customizing to help beef up a claim: Police filmed him through slats in a fenced-off lot taking a screwdriver to the agent's car, ruining the paint job to get the maximum return from the insurer.
Car owners looking for upgrades will sometimes fake a claim, said California Highway Patrol officer Todd Brown, announcing the results of the nation's largest-ever auto body shop insurance fraud sting. And too often, shop owners will help a car owner do it.
A 28-year-old agent, whose identity is being kept secret for his protection, visited 62 auto body shops over seven months, presenting shop employees with the same sleazy deal: He was ready to file a fraudulent claim, if they'd help. On Friday over lunch with colleagues, the agent celebrated all the cooperation he received from unwitting accomplices in the operation dubbed ``The Fast and the Fraudulent.''
The Regional Auto Theft Task Force has some new pin-ups on its conference room wall -- mug shots of men and women of all ethnicities, from nine cities, who were arrested on felony charges of insurance fraud Thursday. Some of the freshly photographed suspects even split insurance money with the agent.
The agent found shop employees who not only inflated estimates, they also offered spot seminars on how to do just enough damage to pay for upgrades like twinkling strips of tail lights, but not enough to make the job too difficult. ``Take a key, or take a screwdriver, and drag it here, here and here, but don't do the roof,'' one shop employee instructed the agent in a scene captured on videotape.
Insurance companies fed up with suspicious claims prompted the sting.
``Everybody in the body shop business'' knows the telltale signs, Brown explained: a scratch on every single car panel (to get an entirely new paint job, not just a patch-up); an expensive, recently purchased car stereo ``stolen'' by neat wire trims cops call ``a surgical strip.'' ``Owner give-ups,'' which Brown summed up as, ``You get behind on a payment or you can't afford your car anymore, so you make it disappear.''................
ENTIRE ARTICLE
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/bayarea/...cal/4121840.htm
09-21-2002, 09:13 PM
#2
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Wichita, KS
Posts: 362
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Vehicle: 01 Tiburon
eek! eek! eek!
Thats some serious news Josh,,,,but hey ive crashed many times with my previous cars and every body shop i went i managed with the manager to put overrated prices so i can take the money after from the insurance company....HEY no offense but insurance companies suck...They take so much money from us........and we need them rarely at least most of the insured drivers...
Thats some serious news Josh,,,,but hey ive crashed many times with my previous cars and every body shop i went i managed with the manager to put overrated prices so i can take the money after from the insurance company....HEY no offense but insurance companies suck...They take so much money from us........and we need them rarely at least most of the insured drivers...
09-22-2002, 03:25 AM
#3
Senior Member
I'm glad someone is ripping off insurance companies.. they fvcking deserve it. I hate them for many reasons.... uunfortunately, we all end up paying for it.
09-22-2002, 11:57 PM
#5
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 665
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Stupid Inusrance companies... tried to accuse me of filing a false claim... My car got damaged while I was in Korea from some Black Walnuts falling on it, and everybody else's car (left it with my parents)... And they tried to say I did the damage myself so I could get a new paint job.. I had to provide pics of my mom's and sisters cars.. Pissed me off.. How and why would I put a hundred plus little dents in the body of my car.. That I have to drive around until I can afford to get it fixed.. that's pretty stupid.. I argued with 'em for a month before I finnally got the pics from my mother to show them.. Stupid Allstate..
[ September 23, 2002, 07:23 AM: Message edited by: Playboy ]
[ September 23, 2002, 07:23 AM: Message edited by: Playboy ]
09-25-2002, 01:18 AM
#6
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 234
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
although I see theft as being theft I don't like insurance company's that much either. I get charged 225 a month for 1 car. that's it just 1 car and I'm 25 years old and when I got my policy I never had a single ticket or an accident... although I did have an accident last may. But I'm still paying way too much, come January I'm going to have to renegotiate my payments with em or just change insurance company.