Winnipeg, Manitoba — The holiday season is over, and with that we as humans may resume the regularly scheduled fear and suspicion we love to direct toward one another, spurred on in part by things like the MPI “Top 5 Frauds” list of 2022, released just last week.
Whether you like to shake your head at the harebrained schemes, or quietly check the failed ideas off of a list of potential career moves, the annual list from Manitoba’s public insurer is back and shedding light on some of the most creative ways customers have sought to steal a payout over the past year.
Topping this year’s list was a dirty deed involving some household cleaning supplies.
Police and MPI representatives received a call from a customer earlier this year who alleged that their insured vehicle had been stolen and destroyed in fire.
Investigators at the time noticed an empty plastic laundry detergent pod container at the scene of the burnt out vehicle.
Upon further investigation on the part of law enforcement, the claimant was seen filling the detergent container with gasoline at a nearby gas station earlier that day.
After being presented with the evidence, the claimant admitted that the fire was started accidentally and no theft had taken place. MPI claims that sorting out the truth of this issue saved policyholders about $24,400.
According to MPI’s press release, nearly 3,000 investigations were carried out over the past year, leading to more than $14 million in false payouts being saved on the part of the insurer.
Check out MPI’s website for the full Top 5 Frauds list for 2022.
