ICBC uncovers $23,000 fraud

A Maple Ridge, B.C. man has pleaded guilty to fraudulently accepting payment of $23,414 from the Insurance Corp. of B.C.In May, 2003, Daniel Wiens claimed the amount following a single-vehicle crash he said occurred on May 16, resulting in a total write-off of his car.”Everything looked normal until it was later discovered through a routine audit of tow bills that the dates did not match with the claimants statement,” says ICBC special investigation unit officer, Don Jette. “After further investigation we found that the crash actually occurred on May 9th. At the time of the crash Wiens did not have collision coverage on his truck, but purchased the coverage two hours after the collision.”Wiens admitted to the fraud and repaid $20,000, but also faced criminal charges to which he pled guilty. He was ordered to pay a fine of $2,000, a “victim surcharge” of $300 and an order to repay the remaining amount of the claim, $3,414.