New legislation makes it a specific criminal offence to provide false or misleading information to ICBC in order to obtain money or other benefits. Those convicted may be sent to jail for up to two years. Also, fines are steep:
To ensure effective prosecution, Crown Prosecutors have been assigned to take ICBC fraud cases to criminal court.
On behalf of all our customers, ICBC now has a policy of suing those caught making a fraudulent claim, to recover:
Any judgment obtained against fraudulent claimants becomes a debt which must be repaid before the fraudster can purchase insurance or get a drivers licence.
Legislation entitles ICBC to deny a claim under a policy if the claimant makes a material willfully false statement. People have been shocked to discover that their claims have been completely denied because they lied in order to recover more than they were entitled to.
A fraud conviction under the criminal code can also affect the ability to get a loan or other credit, to get a job, to buy a house or to purchase other insurance.
