ICBC anti-fraud efforts lead to 175 criminal charges in 2005

ICBC says its anti-fraud programs saved B.C. motorists more than CD$73 million in 2005.The figure is based on the estimated value of fraudulent claims that were denied, money recovered, and savings generated through fraud prevention.ICBC’s anti-fraud efforts led to 175 criminal charges against 94 people last year. The number of criminal charges laid in 2005 was more than double the number laid in 2004.”Zero tolerance for fraud is one of ICBC’s strategies to help keep rates low and stable,” Mark Withenshaw, ICBC’s vice president of loss management, said in a press release. “We will not sit back and simply pass the cost of fraud onto our customers.”Last year, ICBC’s team conducted more than 3,300 investigations covering all types of suspected fraud. Incidents typically involved staged collisions, exaggerated claims, and licensing and identify fraud.In one case, ICBC was able to determine the identity of a hit-and-run driver because of a blue smudge left on the bumper on the claimant’s car. The smudge contained four of the six license plate numbers of the striking vehicle’s license plate. They matched one of four local plates with the same numbers.In Project Ram, a group of 21 individuals and three companies worked together in an attempt to defraud ICBC by staging crashes. By intentionally “ramming” their vehicles into one another, the fraudsters collected compensation for phony injuries and vehicle damage. From 1996 to 2001, the group staged 12 collisions throughout the Lower Mainland. Their fraud scheme was uncovered thanks to a tip to ICBC’s fraud line. Last year, the case went to trial and a B.C.Supreme Court jury awarded ICBC over CD$3.4 million in damages. Individual defendants were each assessed punitive damages from CD$55,000 to CD$900,000.”The general public is a helpful resource in cracking down on potential fraudsters,” ICBC noted in a press release.