As one of the province’s main insurance providers, SGI is no stranger to unscrupulous individuals trying to bilk the Crown Corporation out of dollars in fraudulent claims and scams. March is Fraud Prevention Month, and SGI wants the public to know that it is ever vigilant when it comes to those who would try for some “easy bucks” through misrepresenting claims information. In truth, SGI has ferreted out 263 fraudulent claims out of the 481 it’s investigated, saving around $5.9 million in unfair payouts. With its Special Investigations Unit and SGI employees, it’s simply not easy, and certainly not advised, to run a ruse on the insurer.  

In one such fake claim, a woman reported having lost her keys and found her vehicle subsequently stolen. However, she told friends she’d been driving while impaired and struck several vehicles prior to her report of the theft. The reported theft was a misdirect for her own crime. Confronted months later with the result of the investigation, she fessed up and was ultimately held responsible for the damage she had done to other vehicles during the drunken escapade.  

In another case, an out-of-country vacationer claimed to have had the misfortune of having items of jewelry stolen. She replaced the jewelry while on vacation and submitted the claim with invoices that later proved to be fake. To top it off, no jewelry was reported as being brought into the country through customs. That tipped off investigators, and sure enough, they determined the traveller had not purchased any jewelry and had misrepresented the entire claim. 

A “keep it in the family” fake claim occurred with a vehicle up for appraisal. Strangely, the vehicle in question was seen being vandalized at a residence after it had been dropped off by a tow truck. The vehicle was then towed to an unknown location. Subsequently, three different claims came in on a vehicle that matched the description of the one having been vandalized. In the end after matching up the bill of sale and the same address for the three individual claims, investigators determined a trio of relatives conspired to make the false reports.   

Another theft report came in from a person claiming his vehicle had been stolen while he was shopping. Turned out a tip to SGI revealed that the claimant had abandoned the car months earlier and was trying to cash in on a phony tale of woe.  

Finally, a reported break-in became a little fishy when the items reported stolen, and which had been submitted for a claim with no receipts, began showing up on Facebook Marketplace. The claimant was asked to come to for an interview, but she simply turned belligerent and refused to pursue the claim further.  

It’s a testament to the “honesty is the best policy” claim – the only one that rings true among these cases. Anyone with information about potential insurance fraud is encouraged to contact SGI's Special Investigation Unit at siu@sgi.sk.ca or 1-800-667-8015, ext. 6887. To report anonymously, call Saskatchewan Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.