In December 1991, a man was hired to torch a house in the San Diego area. After extinguishing all the pilot lights …
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February 15, 2014
INSURANCE JOURNAL REPRINT By Barry Zalma In California and several other states, before a car can be insured, the agent must photograph …
August 12, 2013
We go all the way to Russia this time and find a Stupid Fraudster, a Smart Driver and an out-of-control situation. Making a …
There’s no doubt about it. When economic times are difficult, the number of claims submitted on stolen/burned cars goes up. The reasons …
May 1, 2013
Some stories make you want to laugh and cry. For the victim. For the bad guys. This is one of those stories. …
May 1, 2013
Debra Gail Hodges of Fayetteville filed a $10,000 claim with Liberty Mutual in the summer of 2011 and included a list of damaged …
January 24, 2013
Armen Aivazian, owner of the Sayat Nova restaurant in Glendale, California, has been arrested and charged with four counts of felony insurance …
January 24, 2013
Cleveland, OH; Columbia, SC; Detroit, MI; Houston, TX; Indianapolis, IN; Las Vegas, NV; Little Rock, AR; Los Angeles, CA; Memphis, TN; Miami, …
January 14, 2013
By Bob Gentile In looking at the basics of fire scene photography, the following question must be answered first, “Why photograph a …
January 13, 2013
In what could be termed as one of the largest insurance fraud sentences received by a single individual, Tony Lucius Francis has …
January 6, 2013
A burglar broke into a New York eatery in the middle of the night. He treated himself to expensive wine and the …
January 5, 2013
By George Romain, Esq. Insurance company claim adjusters beware: Daubert is about to call on you. A recent US Supreme Court ruling …
January 5, 2013
By Rob Painter The following story is fictitious. It is, however, based on a true story – one which covers a period …
January 5, 2013
By Leslie Kim WARSAW POLAND, OCTOBER 2, 1997: We are very, very far from home. It is evident everywhere; and once again, …
January 5, 2013
In the summer of 1997, after authorities became weary of the proliferation of organized auto theft rings in south Florida, a multi-agency …
January 3, 2013
That’s all they bothered to go after: Porsches, Jeep Wranglers, Mercedes, etc. A routine business inspection at a Santa Ana, California, …
January 3, 2013
By Barry Zalma The insured had no respect for his insurance company. He expected them to pay any claim he presented. He …
January 3, 2013
Auto theft is the most costly property crime in the nation. Los Angeles County residents have 89,000 vehicles stolen each year, valued …
The statistics are alarming. Car theft cost $8 billion nationally last year. Almost two million vehicles are stolen each year in …
January 2, 2013
It’s a fascinating case. There’s a missing person (assumed dead, but no body has ever been located); a rogue suspect who …
January 2, 2013
It’s clearly a case of he says, he says. Residents of Charlotte are divided as to what really transpired on January 1,1996. …
December 31, 2012
On the ladder of international organized crime, drug trafficking ranks number one. In second place, and sneaking up fast, is auto theft. …
December 31, 2012
Now that we’ve got your attention… Eight members of an insurance fraud ring were arrested for their alleged involvement in surgically stripping …
December 30, 2012
Cranston, Rhode Island, police officer Kevin Grant and Tara Devoren, his former girlfriend, tell completely different stories of events that transpired beginning …
December 30, 2012
Perhaps his yearly salary for teaching emotionally disturbed children just wasn’t enough? Maybe he simply grew tired of his 1991 Chevy Blazer? …
A Nashville man, Mark Jones, opened an account at NationsBank of Hendersonville with a $50 cash deposit. As is usually the case …
December 30, 2012
No question about it. This issue’s top SFT award just has to go to Dr. Oludare Wilson. Nobody else could possibly even …
December 30, 2012
No question about it. This issue’s SFT column recognition belongs to William Angus Barter of Oregon. Police cited Barter for forgery in …
December 30, 2012
An amorous burglar dialed himself into the hands of the police while robbing a Belgian soccer club. Apparently, he used the club’s …
December 30, 2012
It is a problem that has reached global proportions. A 1996 Lexus is not safe; a 1973 Pinto is not safe. And …
December 30, 2012
By Barry Zalma Aunt Susie had been in the restaurant business all her life. She worked for chains like Denny’s and Stuckey’s. …
December 30, 2012
By Ed McArdle Fraudsters, thieves and con men of all types love rental cars and the companies that rent them: what scamp …
December 29, 2012
No, we’re not talking about politicians here; we’re talking about stolen car parts: more specifically, air bags. The Highway Loss Data …
It started when Progressive donated $25,000 to the state police to assist in setting up a sting operation. It ended in the …
December 29, 2012
SOURCES: MARKETLINE INTERNATIONAL(European) NICB (USA) Country Cars Stolen per 1,000 UK 22.0 France 12.5 Norway 11.6 Belgium 9.1 Italy 8.4 Netherlands 7.2 …
December 29, 2012
Connecticut State Police have arrested Dennis and Carol Steiger of Old Lyme and charged them with felony counts of arson, conspiracy to …
December 29, 2012
It was December 10, 1989, when Florence “Jerri” Beardslee, one of a small number of women who owned wholesale distributorships for …
December 29, 2012
A stolen car ring operating between San Diego, Seattle, Newark, Buffalo and the Ukraine came to a screeching halt on August 13th …
December 29, 2012
In the battle against insurance fraud in Michigan, some companies fight harder than others. One of the toughest fighters is Farm Bureau, …
December 29, 2012
VIDEO MAGIC The woman said she was incapacitated by her injury. She said she couldn’t even use a broom to sweep her …
By Susan Clarke “Once upon a time, there were two brothers, three 1967 Corvette convertibles, three phony insurance claims and five phony …
December 29, 2012
Here’s how it works: Each claim involves a luxury car that is stolen, and stripped of its audio system, seats, interior door …
December 28, 2012
By Leslie Kim Imagine this: You’re a career fireperson, your performance and credentials are impecable, and suddenly your chief assigns you a …
December 28, 2012
Fire Cause Analysis, a division of IFT in Berkeley, California, recently hired two new furry employees, Cinder and Ott. Cinder and Ott …
By Steve Pastis Changes in the U.S. Customs’ Operation Outlook program, influenced by the National Insurance Crime Bureau, will make it increasingly …
December 28, 2012
A 1938 MG TA Tickford, valued at $125,000, was only one of the nine classic cars reported lost by Dr. George H. …
December 28, 2012
By Barry Zalma The brothers were operating a successful bar and grill in the steel mill town of Fontana, California. Drawing …
December 28, 2012
ALLIGATORING: A term used by fire investigators in the discussion of fire spread patterns and fire point indicators. The general usage is …
December 28, 2012
By John Jansen Russell (Rusty) DelGrosso was indicted by the Grand Jury in Anchorage last year for a five count felony indictment …
December 28, 2012
Arson-for-profit, with its many faces, is a dangerous and sometimes deadly form of insurance fraud. By Michael Diegel In 560 cases in …
December 28, 2012
By Donald Perkins If a person is unscrupulous enough to set or cause to set a fire, he/she will usually be fraudulent …
By Steve Pastis A focused enforcement effort to fight Oldsmobile Cutlass thefts in the San Francisco Bay area has already started showing …
December 28, 2012
There was only one suspect in the May 29, 1995, early-morning arson fire that killed Lucy Morita, her three children and a …
December 28, 2012
By Susan Clarke What is an airbag? Well, it depends on your point of view. If you are a typical consumer, an …
December 28, 2012
New York Law Journal – Reprint with Permission Not only was the group of car thieves organized, they also had expensive tastes …
December 26, 2012
Along with fluctuations in the overall economy, comes the spawning of new forms of insurance fraud. Take, for instance, Gap Insurance Fraud, …
December 26, 2012
In yet another creative business venture, a 61 year old former Binghampton, NY, realtor is on his way to prison to serve …