“Car-jacking that wasn’t” tops list of Manitoba frauds

In its annual list of the “top five” frauds, Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) has given the dubious top honors for 2004 to the victim of an imaginary ca-jacking.A 24-year-old Winnipeg man filed a claim with the public auto insurer, saying that he had been car-jacked at gunpoint. When his vehicle was recovered days later with extensive damage, MPI and the Winnipeg police started asking questions several witnesses reported seeing the man drive away from a Winnipeg bar following a fight with another person, and the investigation revealed the man had subsequently crashed the car. The fraudster was ordered to pay a $2,500 fine and more than $5,700 in restitution to MPI.The second spot on the list goes to a man who claimed icy roads had caused him to rear-end another vehicle at an intersection. Investigation later revealed drivers of both vehicles had staged the accident, that the men had been seen talking before the one got into his car, backed up and ran into the other’s car, Both paid fines of $2,500.Third is a man who claimed his vehicle was stolen and offered his “good friend” as a witness; the good friend didn’t back up the lie, and went on to say that the claimant had deliberately wrecked the car to avoid paying for repairs. Another fraudster claimed his car had been struck while parked outside his place of employment. But based on physical evidence, investigators knew the car was moving at the time it sustained damage, a fact which the claimant eventually admitted. Turns out he had hit a “no parking” sign.And rounding out the list is a woman who reported a claim with MPI only to learn her insurance had been suspended for non-payment of premiums. When the woman tried to furnish false receipts for the payments, MPI was not fooled. She eventually admitted the fraud and was ordered to pay a $2,500 fine plus over $3,200 in restitution to MPI.MPI publishes the list as a way to highlight the problem in fraud, noting that in 2004, its “tips” line received about 50 calls per month which launched 128 investigations resulting in about $2.7 million in savings.