Latest news with #insuranceFraud
Daily Mail
07-07-2025
- Daily Mail
One woman drowned, another took his hand in marriage and now he's behind bars and accused of murder - as a haunting question remains
It began as a tragic accident - or so it seemed. In November 2020, Jacqueline Davidson, a devoted mother and popular beautician, drowned during a kayaking trip with her husband, Graeme, a respected Australian Army major. But years later in 2025, a chilling twist changed everything. Graeme Davidson is now accused of murdering his wife and fleeing to Thailand in an alleged plot to claim more than a million dollars in life insurance. In this exclusive video, Daily Mail senior journalists Stephen Gibbs and Jonica Bray delve into the case that stunned the nation, and uncover the life Graeme Davidson built in the years after his wife's death. For app users - please click here to watch the video.
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NICB Warns of Increased Cargo Theft in 2025
Cargo Theft Up 27% in 2024; Predicted to Rise Another 22% in 2025 OAK BROOK, Ill., June 25, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The confluence of tariffs, profitability to fund criminal enterprises, enhanced technology to defeat law enforcement, and geopolitical circumstances has led to an increased level of threat to the global supply chain, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), the nation's leading non-profit association dedicated to preventing insurance fraud and crime. In the last 18 months, NICB has assisted in more than 240 cargo crime investigations, leading to more than 70 recoveries valued at nearly $40 million. Since 2022, the organization has opened an average of 150 commercial cargo crime cases per year. NICB agents play a crucial role in coordinating with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, as well as NICB member insurance companies to aid in investigations of organized crime and other bad actors involved in cargo theft. "Weaknesses in common-use business technologies like voice over internet protocol (VoIP) and GPS, coupled with business email compromises, identity theft, and synthetic identities enable sophisticated criminals to reroute high-value consumer goods such as electronics, medicine, and clothing from their intended destination to the black market," said NICB President and CEO David J. Glawe. "Bad actors leverage these vulnerabilities, along with economic uncertainty created by ongoing tariff negotiations, for their own profit." For the first time, the value of stolen merchandise and estimated loss rose to more than $1 billion in 2023. Last year, cargo crimes increased to an all-time high, up 27% from 2023, according to CargoNet. Annual cargo theft losses are expected to rise another 22% from already historic levels by the end of 2025. The estimated average value of an individual theft is more than $202,000. Criminals exploit cargo delivery through identity theft, fraudulent pickups, posing as fictitious carriers and cyber-enabled logistics manipulation. "When manufacturers are forced to account for stolen merchandise, the costs are passed along to the consumer," Glawe continued. "An accurate picture of cargo crime is a challenge. We are calling on the transportation industry, insurance carriers and law enforcement to collaborate by sharing data around these crimes to help spot patterns that can help find criminals and deter this crime." The only way to stop cargo theft is through deterrence. The NICB recommends the following precautions for any entity engaged in the supply chain: Screen every employee. Conduct a background check on every employee including those with access to the shipping information. Train employees on the signs of cargo theft. Provide security training for every employee and educate truck drivers in hijack awareness and prevention as well as how to respond and report theft. Check transportation partners before hiring. They should share your security philosophy, such as conducting background checks and employee training. Use freight brokers and transporters who do not permit double brokering. Ensure that only you as the shipper can make re-routing decisions and not the broker, transporter dispatch etc. The change order can only originate from the owner of the cargo. Be cautious and scrutinize emails to ensure that they are legitimate and not altered. Scrutinize and ensure phone numbers used by individuals within the supply chain are valid and if determined to be Voice Over Internet Protocol, to take additional vetting procedures. Implement in-transit security measures. Cargo theft can be pre-planned or opportunistic and include an inside informant who follows the goods and ultimately leads criminals to quickly dispose of the cargo. Thieves will often wait outside known shipping facilities waiting for drivers to stop. Best practice is to not stop within the first 200 miles, park in known secure locations and avoid "hot spots" --areas known for increased frequency of cargo crime. Keep a vigilant eye. Trucks and cargo are most vulnerable when sitting idle. Include countersurveillance – observance and 360visibility to your property and surroundings--in the duties of your security guards. Take advantage of technology. Utilize layers of security: ensure the perimeter, entrances, building doors, and windows are well lit. Install alarm surveillance systems, vehicle and cargo tracking, immobilizers, and advanced security seals. Conduct audits. Regularly look for gaps in shipment protection and stay abreast of how technology enables theft throughout the supply chain. NICB develops proprietary threat assessments based on its own data as well as data from law enforcement, industry intelligence, CargoNet, FBI and Overhaul. If you suspect potential cargo theft, call local law enforcement, your insurance carrier and NICB's hotline at 1-800-TEL-NICB. About the National Insurance Crime Bureau: Headquartered in Oak Brook, Ill., the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) is the nation's leading not-for-profit organization exclusively dedicated to combatting and preventing insurance crime through Intelligence, Analytics, and Operations; Education and Crime Prevention; and Strategy, Policy, and Advocacy. NICB is supported by more than 1,200 property and casualty insurance companies and self-insured organizations. To learn more, visit SOURCE National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) Sign in to access your portfolio
The Herald
25-06-2025
- The Herald
Witness in insurance murder case misled court: alleged hitman's lawyer
Allegations are that Mahatta was acting on the instructions of Mokati's cousin, Mathabo Motsieloa, who collected R1.2m in life insurance. ' Accused number two [Mahatta] will deny knowing accused number one [Motsieloa]. Accused two will deny that he was at [traditional healer] Banda's house on the day you were shown him [by Motsieloa] and I put it to you that you were convinced that Mahatta could kill the deceased based on his structure [height and body],' Mshololo said. According to the state witness, known only as Miss Ntai, Motsieloa showed her Mahatta four times before Mokati was murdered in March 2022. Ntai is a section 204 witness. A section 204 witness is someone who was involved in a crime but makes a deal with the state to testify against their accomplices in exchange for immunity from prosecution or for a lesser sentence. Ntai, who has pleaded guilty to her involvement in the matter and was handed a 10-year sentence in June last year, maintained she had met the alleged hitman. The state alleges that Motsieloa, a mineworker in Brits, North West, poisoned Gift Mokati twice in March 2021, but he survived. She then hired a hitman who stabbed him to death later that month. According to the indictment, Motsieloa then cremated Mokati's body and put bricks in his coffin on the day of his burial. However, the family discovered the plot before Mokati could be buried. It is alleged that once Old Mutual paid Motsieloa R1.2m in insurance, she gave R30,000 to Motsumi Tabane — a police officer who was investigating Mokati's murder — so he would not implicate her. The two then allegedly conspired to kill Tabane's colleague, Lekone Mohajane, after he allegedly refused to close Mokati's murder case. Mohajane was killed in an apparent hijack in June 2023. The trial continues. SowetanLIVE
CBS News
21-06-2025
- CBS News
Northern California city councilor among 3 arrested in alleged arson, insurance fraud scheme
A city councilman in the Northern California city of Live Oak was one of three men arrested this week in an alleged arson and insurance fraud conspiracy ring, authorities announced Friday. Live Oak Vice Mayor Aaron Pamma, 30, was booked into jail on Thursday along with Simren Pamma, 28, who is a Live Oak Unified School District board member, and Gurtej Singh, 28, the Butte County District Attorney's Office said. Each was arrested on a $1,000,000 warrant issued by the county Supreme Court. Live Oak Vice Mayor Aaron Pamma City of Live Oak The arrests were tied to a farmhouse fire that happened on Old Ferry Road on February 17, 2024. Singh purchased the property in April 2023 under a U.S. Department of Agriculture mortgage program and transferred 50% ownership of the property to Aaron and Simren Pamma the next month, the DA's office said. Singh, from Yuba City, was also found to have purchased home insurance three months before the property was severely damaged in the fire, Cal Fire investigators found. He then allegedly filed a false insurance claim on the property. Not long after the fire, the three men sold the Old Ferry Road property and collected an insurance payment, acquiring more than $200,000 in profit, the DA's office said. Each faces charges of arson, the DA's office said. Aaron Pamma faces additional charges of fraud, perjury, supporting a false insurance claim, and conspiracy to destroy insured property for fraud. Simren Pamma faces an additional charge of conspiracy to destroy insured property for fraud. Singh faces additional charges of fraud, wire fraud, destroying insured property for fraud, presenting a false insurance claim, and perjury. A fourth individual, Javier Molina-Bravo, was charged in Butte County Superior Court in March with multiple felony counts of check fraud, the DA's office said. Molina-Bravo, 37, from Tehama County, owned Big Dog Handyman and was hired by the other three men to renovate the farmhouse. Investigators found that Molina-Bravo used fraudulent checks to purchase thousands worth of materials for the renovation from businesses around Chico. Malina-Bravo is a wanted fugitive after failing to appear for a scheduled hearing in Butte County Superior Court. The investigation was a joint operation involving the FBI, Cal Fire and the Butte County DA. Live Oak is a city in the northeast corner of Sutter County, near the border of Butte County. Old Ferry Road runs along the Feather River on the north end of the Butte County city of Oroville.
Free Malaysia Today
18-06-2025
- Automotive
- Free Malaysia Today
Tougher penalties needed to curb RM1bil losses to insurance fraud
Allianz Malaysia Bhd CEO Sean Wang warns of a network of 'touts', tow truck operators and service workshops that thrive on inflating insurance claims. (Envato Elements pic) PETALING JAYA : An insurance firm is urging the authorities to enforce tougher penalties on the perpetrators of motor insurance fraud to curb the massive losses suffered by the industry. Sean Wang, CEO of Allianz Malaysia Bhd, said that while insurance fraud is indirectly addressed through laws targeting fraud and misconduct, these measures are inadequate in dealing with the modus operandi of rogue tow truck providers and workshops. Sean Wang. 'The industry is losing about RM1 billion every year. The annual total claim sum in the (motor insurance) industry is roughly RM10 billion, and I estimate the leakage and exaggerated claim rates at about 10% of the total sum. 'We urge the government to introduce clearer, stricter regulations and enforcement measures specifically targeting these service providers. 'This can include enhancing industry oversight, establishing severe penalties for offenders, and promoting greater transparency in the towing and service sectors,' Wang told FMT in an interview. Modus operandi, false affiliations Wang said the fraudulent claims are the work of a network of touts, tow truck operators, and service workshops that thrive on inflating insurance claims by 15% to 20%. He said that these touts typically patrol urban areas on motorcycles, scouting for road accidents. Once alerted to potential 'assets', they quickly arrive at the scene to persuade drivers to use the services of particular tow trucks and workshops. The touts would also falsely claim themselves to be affiliated with insurance companies or offer seemingly convenient solutions to convince the victims to surrender their vehicles to them. Once the tout takes possession of the damaged vehicles, they will negotiate with workshops who are willing to inflate repair costs, sometimes using substandard parts or performing unnecessary repairs to exaggerate the claim amount. 'As a result, insurance companies suffered financially,' he said, Wang said these touts and tow truck operators tend not to send a car immediately for repair. 'Neither will the insurance company be informed (by the touts) about the vehicles being kept by them—sometimes for days and weeks—because they want to get the best deal out of it. 'The policy holders will think that the insurance company is attending to the repairs because the person who towed it would claim to be representing us,' he said, adding that such malpractice has been existing for the last four decades. Combatting fraudulent claims Wang said that Bank Negara Malaysia, the main regulator of the insurance industry, has initiated several measures to combat these fraudulent practices and protect the interests of policy holders. A crucial step has been in mandating that each insurer provide its own towing service and a means for the client to contact them directly in the event of an accident. Insurance companies can decide whether to invest in their own fleet of tow trucks or engage third party providers, he said. 'The insurance companies and the regulator are also looking into the possibility of creating e-police reporting. This is one way to eliminate one of the pain points of our clients, as making a police report is also part of a tout's services,' he added. Wang said Allianz has set up the Allianz Road Rangers, which operates over 300 tow trucks across the country that are always on standby for any emergency. The firm has also enhanced its claims management and blacklisted workshops and tow truck operators known for their unethical and fraudulent activities. Wang said insurance companies must educate policyholders and disseminate the right information to reduce fraud claims. 'For the public out there, the first thing to do during an accident is to contact your own insurance company. Once you contact the insurers, they will immediately be able to deploy their tow trucks to the site. 'I know it's easier said than done because an accident can be a very traumatising experience. But remember, whatever you sign on the spot may relinquish your rights later on,' he said.
