Insurance fraud: is it serious?
Allegations of a financial crime could result in serious penalties for you, including the possibility of spending time behind bars. There are many types of white-collar crime, and insurance fraud is one of them. If you recently filed a major claim, you could find that this leads to questions about the nature of your claim and your actions. It may be necessary to seek defense counsel in case there are formal charges.
If there are allegations of insurance fraud against you, this means there is suspicion that you exaggerated your claim or made a false claim against the insurance company. This may not seem serious at first, but in reality, this is a type of white-collar criminal offense, and conviction could alter the course of your life. Whether there is an investigation into your actions or there are already charges filed, there is no time to lose in seeking defense counsel. Remember, you are innocent until proved guilty.
Types of insurance fraud
Insurance fraud is a broad term used to describe any effort made to illegally obtain money from the insurance company. This can include a range of different actions, but there are two main categories of this type of fraud. They are as follows:
- Soft fraud — An example of this is when a person tells an insurance provider small, seemingly insignificant lies regarding the claim. Some may even think it’s harmless, but it is an effort to get more out of a claim.
- Hard fraud — This happens when the fraud is more deliberate, such as when a person fakes an accident, commits arson, destroys property or does other things to file an insurance claim for the damage.
Insurance fraud is not a victimless crime. It costs companies billions of dollars per year. Common examples include false auto accident claims, fake slip-and-fall claims, false disability claims and inflated medical billing. These cases face prosecution to the fullest extent of the law.
Your defense starts now
You would be wise to act quickly to build a strong defense against insurance fraud charges. It is helpful to work with a South Carolina attorney experienced in white-collar criminal defense and tenaciously dedicated to your rights and interests. After the start of an investigation, questioning from police or formal charges against you, you would be wise to secure legal guidance as soon as possible.