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Assertive Representation In State & Federal Court

Insurance fraud: a white collar crime that can trap good people

On Behalf of | Aug 24, 2018 | White Collar Crimes

Despite the assurances from many insurance companies they will take care of their customers when the need arises, dealing with the filing of an insurance claim can be a frustrating experience.

After all, even the most honest carriers are going to stick quite literally to the terms of their policy and follow the conditions of the policy strictly. This is because ultimately, an insurance company does not want to pay any more than they are obligated to pay.

While from the company’s perspective this is sound business practice, it can a well-intentioned policyholder who has just discovered that he or she didn’t have enough insurance to pay for all of his or her losses in a real lurch.

Still, people should resist the temptation to pad bills, change dates, or the like when working with an insurance company, as doing so, even if one sees it as just cutting through red tape, could lead to a charge of insurance fraud.

It is important to remember that an insurance fraud charge is not just reserved for those who stage accidents or burn their own houses down to get proceeds. Because even a half-truth or slightly misleading statement can lead to an insurance fraud charge, it is easy to see how even a good but perhaps careless person can wind up looking at a felony criminal allegation.

Regardless of whether it was the result of an honest mistake that just looks bad or was a real lapse in judgment, an insurance fraud charge demands a strong criminal defense from an attorney experienced in handling white collar crimes. After all, a conviction of even the lowest degree of insurance fraud can land a person in jail. Moreover, depending on what a person’s profession is, it can also mean the end of a person’s career.

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