Anyone who has been in the insurance industry for a while has seen their share of unusual insurance claims—the kind that make you shake your head in disbelief because you thought that you'd seen everything. And yet, here are claimants who think their insurers will be willing to pay for claims that no sane person would consider.

Here are four claims that probably shouldn't have been filed, and claimants who likely wish they'd never tried putting one over on their insurers.

1. Big Daddy's Mercedes

Renowned legal and insurance expert Barry Zalma shares a story about a sweet young thing who caught the eye of a wealthy, married, middle-aged businessman. “Big Daddy” was willing to give her whatever she wanted, including an extravagant salary, a nice apartment and a $90,000 Mercedes Benz 500SL as long as she kept him happy. She lived in a town full of college boys who were more than willing to keep her company when Big Daddy was out of town on business, and actually fell in love with a poor college boy who couldn't provide her with the luxuries to which she'd become accustomed.

The two of them hatched a plan to drive her Mercedes to Mexico, sell it there and then report it stolen so they could collect the insurance money as well as the proceeds from the sale.

They drove the car to El Gato, Mexico, and sold it for $50,000 cash. When she returned home, she reported the car stolen. The adjuster thought it would be a simple claim and filed the paperwork. He ran the VIN number through the National Crime Insurance Bureau (NCIB) database; unfortunately for her, an NCIB agent had spotted the Mercedes in Mexico and added the VIN and tag number to the database. When confronted by the adjuster, she broke down and told the truth, promising never to perpetrate any similar fraud again. The local prosecutor chose not to file the case. The sweet young thing ended up losing her Mercedes and college boy, but Big Daddy decided to keep her around, just in a less expensive Cadillac sedan.

2. The Laws of the Sea

Robert L. Judge, a claims investigator and risk manager, recounts a claim involving a worker on an offshore platform rig in the Gulf of Mexico. The employee was complaining of a back injury, and was taken to a hospital where he was treated and released. The employer also thought he should see an orthopedic specialist, and during the recorded evaluation the employee recounted his work history.

The type of vessel on which the employee worked and was injured actually determined which aspect of maritime law would be applied to his case. “Jack-up” rigs and barge rigs are considered vessels under the Jones Act, a statute that controls coastwise trade in the U.S., regulates which ships may operate in coastal waters and the rules under which they may operate. Platform rigs, which are not considered vessels, are governed by the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA), which provides guidelines for oil and gas exploration.

Originally, the employee said he had been reassigned permanently to the platform rig for five months when he was injured, but had previously been on a jack-up rig—a vessel that falls under the Jones Act. This would enable him to sue his employer and the vessel owner for damages associated with his injuries and allow his attorney to receive 40% of the judgment plus fees as opposed to an award of just fees under OCSLA. The plaintiff claimed he had been working on a jack-up rig, and filed suit under the Jones Act. The permanent reassignment became the crux of the issue, and the judge realized the plaintiff had changed his story. He ruled in favor of the defense, rendering a zero-dollar judgment.

3. It's All in the High Heels

A savvy investigator with Keenan and Regency Investigations was conducting an investigation of a workers' compensation claim when they received some interesting video of the subject. Adonnie Modupe Martin, a high school custodian, apparently had faked an ankle injury in order to collect $28,056 in medical benefits and the same amount in temporary disability benefits.

Martin was caught on tape throwing her crutches into her car and running in stiletto high heels to meet her boyfriend in a public park. She was convicted of one count of workers' comp fraud and ordered to pay restitution of more than $79,000.

4. Ice Bucket Challenge Leads to Fraud Charges

It seems that perpetrators of Workers' Compensation insurance fraud can be found in any profession—and law enforcement officers aren't immune. Take the case of Jaime Robinson, a police officer whose undoing may have been her participation in last summer's popular Ice Bucket Challenge benefitting individuals with ALS. Robinson was out of work on a disability claim when she was caught in a video pouring a bucket of ice water on a fellow officer.

Apparently, the 42 pounds that the average five-gallon bucket weighs wasn't too much for her to lift, even though she'd been receiving disability payments for more than a year to the tune of $117,000. She was charged with four counts of insurance fraud and faces a maximum sentence of six years and four months if convicted in June 2015. Cold water, indeed.

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Claims So Crazy They Must Be True!

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