Canadian Tamils Arrested in Massive Auto Insurance Fraud
Targeted News Service |
A criminal ring mainly comprising former Sri Lankan Tamils now in
In raids across the GTA -- part of an investigation dubbed Project Whiplash --
"The victims of this crime are all of us who operate motor vehicles," said
Auto insurance fraud costs
"There's no question that the GTA is the staged collision capital of
The
It works like this: scammers orchestrate, or in some cases fabricate, an accident, then file a fraudulent insurance claim for vehicle damage and bodily harm.
If pulled off, the phony accidents can be lucrative, said Sgt.
While exact figures are not known, Jones said the scams accounted for millions of dollars in losses.
Some of the accused worked as paralegals, helping to file false insurance claims. Others operated rehabilitation or medical clinics in
Four of the implicated clinics face separate charges, laid by
The clinics are:
Investigators contend the accused recruited largely from within their community, preying on new immigrants with few English-language skills.
False claims have escalated in the province over the last five years. In a report released in December, the
From 2006 to 2010, overall auto insurance claims costs in
Of that total increase,
Police named nine of the accused in Project Whiplash: Pirapaharan Nadesu, 33, of
TNS C-PrabMal9 120303-mt93-3794595 61MarlizTagarum
Copyright: | (c) 2012 Targeted News Service |
Wordcount: | 661 |
Advisor News
Annuity News
Health/Employee Benefits News
Life Insurance News