MPI releases its top five attempted frauds in 2024

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Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) has released its top five attempted frauds for 2024, which include everything from fake sniper fire, to exaggerated injuries and a “pole shaped deer.”

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On Monday, MPI said in a media release, investigations undertaken by their Special Investigations Unit (SIU) uncovered $15 million in attempted auto frauds in Manitoba in 2024, after investigating more than 3,500 cases.

According to MPI, one case saw a claimant allege severe injuries after a minor car accident, stating they could barely walk, or stand for more than five minutes, needed help with most basic tasks, and that they could no longer work.

However, investigators uncovered surveillance footage of the same claimant “power-walking” through malls, carrying multiple shopping bags, and showing no visible signs of pain after the claim was made.

Benefits were ceased, and the claimant had to repay nearly $5,000, while MPI said their lifetime fraud savings from that investigation alone sit at $1.8 million.

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In another case, after a high-speed crash that involved a second vehicle, a claimant declared they weren’t driving one of the vehicles involved, saying they were in the passenger seat. They blamed the crash on an “unknown person,” but said they could not remember the identity of the person after the crash.

Evidence later showed the claimant’s car had been travelling at 180 km/h, and the passenger seat was empty at the time of the crash. The claimant admitted to being intoxicated, and their claim was denied.

Two cases saw claimants attempt to use wild animals as an excuse for collisions, as MPI says a driver claimed they swerved to avoid an animal, causing their vehicle to flip. They said they were driving cautiously at 50 km/h, but investigators obtained vehicle data, which revealed the car had been speeding over 100 km/h with “100% acceleration and a hard brake.”

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When confronted, the claimant admitted their child had taken the car without permission and their claim was denied.

Another complainant, according to MPI, reported hitting a deer while driving on the highway, resulting in severe damage to their vehicle. While deer hair was present, investigators discovered the damage was inconsistent with a deer collision and that the vehicle likely hit a fixed object like a pole. MPI say the claimant was trying to disguise pre-existing damage with their story about the deer, and the claim was denied.

Another claim involved a person who did not have valid insurance on a vehicle parked in a vacant lot. The claimant said an unknown cyclist had said to move the vehicle, so they went to an MPI broker to get a five-day temporary policy so they could move it.

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The same claimant said when they returned to the vehicle to collect their belongings a window had been shattered by a possible gunshot and they fled in fear believing there might be a “sniper” in the area.

Just minutes later, police and the fire department were called to the scene because the vehicle was on fire, but MPI says police found no evidence of damage from a gunshot. The temporary policy had been purchased 45 minutes before the vehicle was set on fire.

A security camera at a nearby business also showed the claimant next to the vehicle six minutes before the fire started, and further investigation determined the vehicle was inoperable because many of its parts had been removed or disconnected.

Altogether the investigation and discovery of these five fraudulent claims alone saved MPI a total of $1.9 million, MPI said.

MPI says anyone with information about auto insurance fraud is encouraged to call the MPI tips line at (204) 985-8477 in Winnipeg, or toll-free at 1-877-985-8477 outside of Winnipeg.

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