The case of a woman who was spotted walking around a Comic Con event for six hours – after claiming a car crash left her unable to walk for more than 15 minutes – topped Manitoba Public Insurance’s annual list of top five frauds.
MPI said the 25-year-old was collecting income replacement payments at the time, claiming the crash left her unable to work since walking made her dizzy and she could only drive for short periods.
The public insurer began to investigate after receiving a tip, and an investigator said the woman walked through a convention centre filled with “superheroes, wizards, spaceships, and zombies” for hours, said MPI. She was also seen shopping and driving the two-hour round trip to her home.
MPI said based on the evidence, payments to the woman were ceased and she was ordered to repay $34,000 in payments she had already received.
Other notable frauds from 2018 shared by MPI include an investigation into a car theft where a car owner claimed keys had been stolen from her 22-year-old son while he was at a party. Investigators later heard from witnesses who said they saw the son start a fire in the car when it was parked on a ditch along a rural road, and other witnesses who said they saw the car involved in a crash a day earlier. MPI said the claim, worth $57,000, was denied.
The list also included a claim proven false because it involved a story about eating breakfast at a restaurant that doesn’t serve it, and another involving a tip that led investigators to find out a man who had claimed to have been behind the wheel at the time of a crash was actually covering for his wife, who had driven while drunk.
MPI said the annual cost of auto insurance fraud works out to $50 for each ratepayer. It takes in tips at 204-985-8477 in Winnipeg or toll free at 1-877-985-4877.
