SGI addresses hail damage fraud issue

To pre-empt fraudsters in the wake of the July 10 storm, Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) recently circulated photo examples of fraudulent hail damage claims to Saskatoon auto body shops.

According to SGI’s records, of the thousands of claims it has received following hailstorms, several of them were found to be fraudulent.

“We are committed to investigate any suspicious claims. Our employees and partners are experts in the field and know what to look for,” SGI spokesperson Marie Schultz told CBC in an email statement.

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SGI added that hail damage claim fraud could also refer to inflating claims of damage actually sustained from storms. The insurer stressed that all submissions of fraudulent claims are considered illegal acts.

Even without SGI’s notice, most body shops are knowledgeable enough to identify attempts at hail damage fraud.

“If it’s done with a golf ball you’ll actually see the impression of the golf ball in the clear coat. All the round circles in a golf ball show up in the paint,” dent technician Brad Classen explained.

Classen told CBC that in his 18 years as a technician, he has only seen “half a dozen” fraudulent claims, which he reported to SGI.

Aside from recognizing hail damage fraud committed with golf balls, Classen can also identify falsified hail damage caused by a hammer – damages caused by a hammer appear much like golf ball damages, but with scuff marks at the center.

He explained that real hail strikes leave behind a smooth dent.

“Some of the hail is jagged but it’s ice. It doesn’t have abrasives in it. It’s not going to scratch the paint,” Classen elaborated. “I’ve never, ever seen it scratch the paint in 18 years of doing this.”

Ever since the auto industry switched to paintless dent repair, free paint jobs on fraudulent claims rarely happen.

“If they had an older car and the paint was scratched and they wanted it painted, they put in a fraudulent claim and they’d get their car painted,” elaborated Classen, who specializes in paintless dent repair.

“They’re still possibly trying to get their car written off or they’re under the understanding that they can get it painted when they can’t.”


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