A man in the North Carolina city of Thomasville was charged with insurance fraud and attempting to obtain property under false pretense.

Mike Causey, insurance commissioner of North Carolina, said special agents with the Department of Insurance's Criminal Investigations Division have accused Philip Scott Mille of trying to obtain insurance claim benefits from Nationwide Mutual Insurance by telling the insurance company that pre-existing damage to his 2008 Honda Civic was new damage.

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The alleged offenses occurred between December 2018 and January 2019. Miller is due to appear in court on August 28.

In a statement, Causey estimated that fraud costs North Carolina residents between 15 and 20 cents on every dollar paid on insurance premiums.

“Insurance fraud affects our economy,” said Causey. “Not only does it damage insurance companies, it cheats businesses and consumers too. This kind of white-collar crime is unacceptable. That's why I've doubled the number of special agents to investigate insurance fraud. Cracking down on fraud will put more money in the pockets of businesses and consumers.”