ICBC fraud charges stick in two cases

In two separate cases, the Insurance Corporation of B.C. has seen drivers plead guilty to providing false information to the public insurer.Salvatore Figliuzzi of Coquitlam, BC, received a fine of $800, and ordered to pay ICBC $1,074 in restitution. He had reported hitting a shopping cart with his vehicle, but a claims investigation revealed this could not have been the cause of the more than $6,000 in damage to the car. ICBC investigators discovered Figluizzi had actually been involved in a hit-and-run incident.In a separate case, Arnold Stanley David Burgess of Chilliwack, BC, was fined $1,500 and ordered to pay ICBC $1,411 in restitution. He claimed injuries following a vehicle collision last summer and said he was unable to drive or work due to the injuries. ICBC investigators discovered he was driving an involved in activity which required heavy lifting.”ICBC has a zero tolerance policy when it comes to this sort of thing,” says Mark Withenshaw, ICBC vice president of loss management. “Every dollar ICBC loses to false claims makes it more difficult for us to keep premiums low for our honest customers.”ICBC estimates fraud increases premiums by about 15%.