Far Out Friday: B.C. insurance fraudsters caught in “dumb criminal” case

These auto insurance swindlers may have put little to no thought into their crime, but the case still offers valuable lessons on fraud detection

Insurance News

By

The next time these fraudsters set out to commit a crime, they might put a second thought – or ideally, a first one – into their auto insurance ploy.
 
Thai Yuen (Lisa) Vo, Michelle Vo and Ryan Rillo have been fined a total of $5,000 and sentenced to jail time in British Columbia after being found guilty of making fraudulent claims out of a “bogus accident,” according to the Vancouver Sun.
 
The hoaxers alleged that they were injured in the collision while exiting a Surrey gas station parking lot. Investigators soon discovered, however, that not only were none of the occupants hurt, but two of three were not even in the car at the time of the claim.
 
This was revealed when the timing of the supposed car crash did not align with security camera footage from the Port Mann Bridge. One of the claimants was still at work then.
 
Their audacious lies do not end there. Authorities managed to obtain the trio’s cell phone records, and learned that two of the three were talking on the phone minutes prior to the incident. This wouldn’t have been necessary if they had been sharing a vehicle. 
 
Finally, their stories contended that they crossed the Port Mann Bridge four times, but the vehicle only traversed it twice – once eastbound and once westbound – and hours beforehand.
 
The friends could not account for these inconsistencies during their court proceedings, so Rillo and Michelle Vo were sentenced to a $2,000 fine, and Lisa Vo was fined $1,000. Both Michelle and Lisa Vo will spend one day in jail.
 
Auto insurance fraud costs insurers $3 billion every year, and 10% to 15% of premiums are redirected to compensate for it.  For this reason, the investigators Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) are pleased with the case’s outcome.
 
“The criminal conviction and jail time, it sends a strong message,” said ICBC representative Adam Grossman.
 

Keep up with the latest news and events

Join our mailing list, it’s free!