Nearly half of B.C.'s insured drivers think car insurance fraud is an accepted practice in the province, a study released Thursday suggests.
The Insurance Corporation of B.C. asked its customers what percentage of claims they believe to be fraudulent.
ICBC said the most common examples of fraud the agency sees are exaggerations of the extent of injuries or damage to a vehicle. Also common are claims of old damage, false claims that a person is unable to return to work, excluding a previous medical condition and proving a false account of how a crash happened.
About eight-in-10 said they believe at least some percentage of claims contain an element of fraud. The poll of 1,373 people was conducted through ICBC's Customer Advisory panel between April 12 and 19.
Fourteen per cent said more than half of claims involved fraud, while one-third said between 21 and 50 per cent of claims.
The answers of nearly four-in-10 aligned with ICBC's estimates of 10 to 20 per cent of claims.
More than half (54 per cent) of those polled said they'd heard stories of insurance fraud, and 17 per cent personally knew of someone who intentionally filed a fraudulent claim.
"It's disturbing to hear from our customers that they feel our society has gotten to a point where committing fraud is simply accepted," ICBC's manager of ICBC's Special Investigations Unit Chris Fairbridge said in a statement.
"To us, small lies and the exaggeration of truth are serious offenses and will not be tolerated. B.C. drivers are financially impacted by every case of insurance fraud, and we need the public's help to identify and report fraud as soon as they suspect it."
Fairbridge's unit conducted more than 16,000 investigations last year alone, and 54 per cent were found to contain an element of fraud. Those convicted face jail time, fees, bills for repairs, denial of coverage and other penalties.
In one example, a claimant reported being rear-ended at a Vancouver gas station. ICBC obtained surveillance camera footage (embedded below) and saw the driver had actually backed in to the other vehicle, which was stopped at a pump.
The claimant was charged with providing a false statement and entered a guilty plea. He was fined $2,000 and ordered to pay a $300 victim surcharge. He will also have to repay ICBC the costs of repairing the other driver's vehicle, and may be denied the ability to purchase optional coverage through ICBC in the future, the corporation said.
The corporation is asking the public to report suspicious activities related to fraud online or by phone at 1-800-661-6844. Tips are confidential and callers can choose to remain anonymous.
