IS YOUR VEHICLE INSURED OR ARE YOU A VICTIM OF FRAUD?
OPP Launches Fraud Prevention Month with Preventing Auto Insurance Fraud
(ORILLIA, ON) - Every vehicle owner is seeking lower auto insurance premiums and scammers know this. To kick off March as Fraud Prevention Month, members of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Anti-Rackets Branch remind you, “if it sounds too good to be true, it likely is.â€
Fraudsters have been offering low automobile insurance premiums in newspaper and online ads, and at trade shows often impersonating legitimate, reputable vehicle insurance brokers. Their various ‘offers’ guarantee saving you hundreds of dollars in premiums. They may tell you that the lower rates are for a limited time only and that you need act now.
After seeing pledges of “low rates†and “everyone is acceptedâ€, victims have sent premium payments to these phoney vendors through Western Union or Money Gram. A bogus insurance slip is then mailed or e-mailed for home or office printing and for placement in your vehicle. Victims don’t realize they have no insurance coverage until they are involved in a collision or are stopped by police.
In 2012, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) - of which OPP is a partner -- received 7,394 Canadian complaints of service scams including auto insurance fraud. The 2,736 people who were identified as victims lost a total of just over $2.1 million.
If you are about to purchase auto insurance, you can protect yourself by verifying legitimate vendors through two reputable sources:
Registered Insurance Brokers of Ontario (RIBO) - All insurance brokers must be licensed in Ontario with RIBO. Call 1-800-265-3097 or visit www.ribo.com
Financial Services Commission of Ontario (FSCO) - In Ontario, automobile insurance is regulated by FSCO, an agency of the Government of Ontario’s Ministry of Finance. In order to legally provide insurance, the insurance companies must be registered with FSCO. Visit www.fsco.gov.on.ca
If you suspect you have purchased phoney auto insurance -- or think you or someone you know has been a victim of any type of fraud, contact your local police, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).
WAWA CURLING RINK DAMAGED
(WAWA, ON) On February 25, 2013 the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Wawa Detachment were advised of damage that had been done to the curling rink ice surface at the Michipicoten Memorial Community Centre. Sometime over the weekend the culprits used the curling rocks to damage the boards along the ice surface and then caused a 6 inch long hole in the middle of the rink. Damage costs were estimated to be approximately $500.
OPP were provided with surveillance video taken inside the Community Centre. From the video a total of 8 suspects were viewed and at this time 4 have been identified. It is believed that they are from the Timmins area. Follow-up investigation is currently being done with the assistance of the OPP South Porcupine Crime Unit.
Anyone with any information is asked to call the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers.
If you have any information regarding any criminal activity, call 705-942-7867 or 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS); submit an e-tip from The Crime Stopper’s web-site at www.saultcrimestoppers.com or send a text to keyword SSM to the short code number 274637.