Drunken crashes, breakfast with a side of deception among MPI's top 5 frauds of 2018

The wheels came off a number of stories after Manitoba Public Insurance looked more closely at a number of claims in 2018, including an alleged vehicle arson that came back to burn the fraudster.

Suspicious claims are handled by MPI's special investigation unit, which, by the end of November 2018, had looked into nearly 1,600 cases and saved more than $10 million in false claims. In order to raise awareness about the costs related to auto insurance fraud, MPI releases an annual top five fraud list to share some of the more colourful stories vehicle owners have crafted.

Anyone with information about auto insurance fraud is encouraged to call the Manitoba Public Insurance TIPS Line: 204-985-8477 or toll-free 1-877-985-8477. All calls are anonymous.

No. 1: Comic con job

A 25-year-old woman, a devout fan of Comic Con, was seen walking around Winnipeg's Convention Centre for six hours, enjoying her favourite characters. An investigator also observed the woman going on numerous shopping trips and driving a two-hour round trip from her rural home to Winnipeg.

But there was one problem: She was collecting income replacement payments after stating she was unable to work due to injuries from a motor vehicle collision. She told her MPI case manager she could only walk a maximum of 15 minutes before getting dizzy and was unable to drive for long periods of time.

After receiving information via the tips line, an MPI investigation was opened.

The woman's income replacement payments were terminated and she was ordered to repay $34,000 in benefits.

No. 2: The polite arsonist

A woman claimed she had given her Dodge Nitro to her 22-year-old son who reported the keys were stolen while he was attending a house party.

Witnesses told a different story.

One stated that while driving down a road in rural Manitoba around 7 a.m., they saw a man deliberately lighting a fire within his Nitro, which was parked in a ditch.

As the vehicle quickly became engulfed in flames, the witness stopped and asked if the man was OK. The young man replied, "Yes, thanks. And have a nice day," before running off into the bush, according to MPI.

Another witness told MPI investigators the same vehicle was involved in a hit-and-run crash in Winnipeg not long before. After being awakened by the loud crash, the witness ran to the crash site where a young man asked him not to speak to police.

The young man appeared intoxicated and quickly drove away in the Nitro, which was later burned in the ditch.

Police showed photos of several individuals to the witnesses, who identified the driver.

The woman's claim was denied for her false statement, resulting in a savings of $57,000 to MPI.

No. 3: Breakfast blunder

A woman opened a theft claim with MPI after police found her vehicle badly damaged.

She reported she had given her vehicle to her 45-year-old son, who told MPI he went for breakfast with his brother at a downtown hotel. The son claimed he went to the washroom while his brother, at the same time, left their table to play VLTs.

The son claimed someone must have stolen the vehicle keys out of his unattended sweater, which had been left on a chair.

The man's story quickly unravelled when hotel staff told investigators the restaurant hadn't served breakfast in years, while the man who allegedly went to play VLTs said he hadn't seen his brother in nine months.

MPI ordered repayment of $22,800.

No. 4: Not-so-jolly Christmas party

A Winnipeg man told his insurance adjuster that someone stole his vehicle from a parking lot while he and his girlfriend were at a Christmas party.

The Dodge Journey was recovered not far from the man's residence, badly damaged after crashing into a tree.

An investigation was launched after several suspicious circumstances came to light, and investigators soon learned the man, 22, and his girlfriend did return home from the party, with the man appearing highly intoxicated and agitated, according to witnesses.

A short while later, the man was seen driving off in the Journey.

When presented with that evidence, the man withdrew the claim, which would have paid out $22,600.

No. 5: Vehicle technology tells all

An anonymous call to MPI's tips line led to the next case, which saved payments of nearly $40,000.

The owner of a 2014 Nissan Titan claimed that he was driving when the vehicle crashed into a ditch in rural Manitoba. The tipster advised MPI it was actually the man's wife who was driving and she was heavily intoxicated at the time.

The man was told that the vehicle's onboard crash data recorder had been removed and the data was going to be downloaded to confirm occupants' weight in the front seat at the time of the crash.

The man then withdrew his claim.