A man and woman in Windsor, Ont., have been apprehended in connection with an alleged insurance scam that involved stealing dump trucks, selling the vehicles to unaware third parties and then pocketing the subsequent insurance claim money.
The charges arrive after a five-month police investigation prompted by a suspicious Canada-United States border crossing, according to the
Windsor Star.
Back in June, U.S. Customs and Immigration officials stopped incoming truck driver from Windsor who was entering the country to import vehicles, as one had been reported as stolen by Windsor Trucking Company.
Further investigation, allege police, revealed that the company sold the automobile to another trucking company and told the authorities it had been stolen. Moreover, the crimes team also discovered six additional dump trucks and one trailer that had similarly been sold to other organizations, but treated as a theft.
Four of those automobiles were being leased at the time the alleged fraud occurred, but the two of the trucks and the trailer both received an illicit insurance payout.
Victims of the alleged fraud suffered more than $375,000 in losses.
Industry leaders say that similar scams can reverberate for consumers throughout the province.
“There’s no question that part of the problem of Ontario’s high premiums is the result of the significant amount of fraud that takes place here,” said Rick Dubin, vice president, investigate services,
Insurance Bureau of Canada. “A lot of it is certainly connected to organized crime, and we still a lot more work to do to combat it.”
