Dallas area insurance lawyers who handle many cases will run across a situation where insurance documents have been forged. The Insurance Journal published an article in September of 2015, that briefly discusses this topic. The title of the article is, North Carolina Man Arrested For Forging Insurance Documents.
Keep this in mind when reading the post. The article deals with an insured committing a fraud against an insurance company. What a lot of people don’t realize is how often an agent or an adjuster or some other representative of an insurance company will also commit fraud with insurance papers. This involves forging signatures, writing in false information on an application or claims form, and checking boxes on pre-printed forms that should not be checked. The motives are simple, to keep from playing claims. For an insurance agent, it often means the difference in their commissions and bonuses.
Here is what the article says:
North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin announced the arrest of Jonathan Russell Marcus, 53, of Charlotte. Marcus is charged with one count each of forgery of an instrument and obtaining property by false pretense.
North Carolina Department of Insurance (NCDOI) criminal investigators accuse Marcus of fraudulently obtaining more than $7,000 from USAA General Indemnity Co. by forging a check, certificate of intent and certificate of completion of home repairs in January 2014. Investigators allege Marcus endorsed the documents without the victim’s knowledge or permission.
Marcus surrendered himself to the Gaston County Sheriff’s Office and was charged in Mecklenburg County on Sept. 21 and placed under a $2,000 bond.
NCDOI employs 20 sworn state law enforcement officers dedicated to investigating and prosecuting claims of insurance and bail bonding fraud. Since Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin took office in 2009, criminal investigators have made more than 1,500 arrests, resulting in more than 750 criminal convictions with more than 250 cases currently pending court, according to NCDOI. These efforts have delivered more than $72.1 million in restitution and recoveries for victims.
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