Insurance Fraud – Or Honest Mistake?

Insurance fraud is a growing and serious white collar crime problem. Earlier this year, Jacksonville police arrested 19 people who defrauded insurance companies via an elaborate scheme of staging car accidents and then going for “treatment” to a clinic that was “in” on the fraud. The clinic would proceed to bill insurance companies for unnecessary and non-existent rehabilitation services.

Insurance fraud prosecutions are not confined to spectacular cases of fraud like this, involving charges of grand theft or other felonies. Insurance fraud also involves cases where people swear to fictional theft or other damage, or “pad” damages to increase a potential insurance award. But what happens if you are accused of insurance fraud for a claim made without any intent to defraud anyone? What if you thought your car was stolen, and didn’t realize your ex-wife’s son took it with her permission, or if your estimate of the value of your claim was too high? Not every mistaken or incorrect insurance claim amounts to a false and fraudulent one ― even if you swore to the claim under penalty of perjury.

If you are facing charges of insurance fraud, a skilled and knowledgeable Jacksonville insurance fraud lawyer can help you mount an effective defense to the following Florida insurance frauds, and others:

• Overstating the true value of stolen or damaged property in your claim
• Falsely reporting your car stolen in order to collect insurance
• Filing a false claim alleging theft of property you actually never owned
• Falsifying insurance documents
• Deliberately setting a fire to collect insurance on your property
• Collecting insurance in collusion with your doctor for an accident or condition you don’t have

Fallgatter Catlin & Varon, P.A. is a discreet, sensitive and reputable criminal defense firm trusted as an AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell®, one of the most prestigious ratings in American law practice. Our lawyers have more than 80 years of collective experience in defending against fraud charges and our available to assist you.