Fraud of the Week
Personal Auto Fraud- Michigan
Amount – $42,000+
A woman filed a false insurance report claiming that her vehicle had been stolen. She forged the title she gave to the insurer so that it showed there was no longer a lien on the vehicle, and claimed that the vehicle had been modified to include wheelchair equipment. The woman was paid more than $42,000 for the vehicle. The Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services Fraud Investigation Unit investigated the claim and worked with the Attorney General to pursue a case against the woman. She has been charged with 3 different counts. The first count is false pretenses $20,000 or more but less than $15,000, which is punishable by 15 years and/or $15,000; the second count is license documents/plates forgery, punishable by 1 to 5 years and/or $500- $5,000; and the third count is insurance – fraudulent acts, punishable by 4 years and/or $50,000.

