Posts Tagged ‘travel insurance’

Five Bizarre Insurance Claims (That We SWEAR We Didn’t Make Up)

October 28th, 2010 by Iris | Comments Off | Filed in insurance facts, insurance news, insurance specialists, workers compensation insurance

Okay, we know that people sometimes make insurance claims for some truly bizarre reasons, but these are more bizarre than most. Since this is Halloween week, we’ve decided to share them with you:

  1. Shooting a Monkey: There’s no doubt that law enforcement work is a high-stress job, but even police officers can take emotional duress claims beyond what most people would consider reasonable. Officer Frank Chiafari made such a claim after a case that involved a chimpanzee that had gone on a rampage, leaving at least one person with serious injuries. When the chimp attempted to get hinto his car, he shot it. He later filed a workers compensation insurance claim because of the stress caused by the situation, but was denied because he hadn’t shot an actual human being.
  2. Nose Broken While Gawking: Okay, we know that Greece is a popular destination for bikini clad tourists, especially in summer, but check this out: while on vacation in Athens, a man was so distracted by ogling a group of nubile young women in bathing suits that he walked into a bust stop shelter, hitting it so hard that he broke his nose. He went to the hospital, and yes, his insurance company did pay for it.
  3. Half-Baked Hair:A man vacationing with his daughter filed a claim with his travel insurance company for the cost of the girl’s haircut. She had, he claimed, singed her hair in the oven, making the new do a necessity, but the do was apparently a serious don’t. The insurance company didn’t agree with his notion that they should pay for the cut. Maybe he should have tried suing the oven manufacturer instead?
  4. Sinking Your Teeth Into It: A man on a cruise found out the hard way just how bad seasickness can be when his dentures went overboard while the ship was in rough waters in the Bay of Biscay. He had leaned over the side to void his upset stomach, and his false teeth went along for the ride. Fortunately, his travel insurance company agreed that that the diving dentures counted as “lost luggage.”
  5. Alien Abduction: While most of us believe that alien abduction is limited to television and movies, there’s actually a thriving market for alien abduction insurance. One company offering such coverage is Goodfellow Rebecca Ingrams Pearson (GRIP). This London-based insurer specializes in odd kinds of coverage, including both alien abduction insurance and immaculate conception insurance. GRIP even paid out a million-pound claim to a client who claimed he’d been abducted. (We won’t comment on the fact that he’s a business partner on GRIP’s managing director.)

To think we once thought it weird that online doctor visits were covered by insurance. By comparison, that’s perfectly normal.

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Insurance Fraud Not Limited to Auto Insurance

February 4th, 2010 by admin | Comments Off | Filed in insurance facts, travel insurance

Stories about auto insurance fraud and how to handle it if you’re a victim abound, as does advice on everything from how to spot the most common staged accident scenarios to how to deal with your insurance company if you’re run off the road, but insurance fraud is on the rise throughout the industry, not just within the realm of auto insurance.

Just as Internet scammers claiming to be collecting money for victims of the earthquake in Haiti, were trawling the internet for unsuspecting donators, there are as many types of fraud as there are insurance.

Recently, A. M. Best ran a story warning consumers about a rash of travel insurance fraud in Florida. In this case, the scam involved an unlicensed “insurance company” selling policies to cruise customers. All of the cruises were eventually cancelled, and over 300 complaints were logged before the company was shut down.

While that event was unfortunate, the more common form of travel insurance is on the consumer’s side, and involves travelers claiming missing bags that never existed, or claiming much higher values for the contents of their lost luggage, than their belongings are actually worth.

Whatever the form, insurance fraud is not likely to disappear. How can you protect yourself?

  1. Always purchase insurance from a reputable firm; if you’re not sure of a company’s track record, read reviews, and check with the BBB.
  2. Whether it’s auto insurance, homeowners insurance, or travel insurance, be sure to read all the fine print of your policy, and ask questions if there’s anything you don’t understand.
  3. Document everything, and take pictures whenever possible. Pictures of your belongings will help you track them later; pictures of accident scenes or damaged goods will help your claim get processed faster.
  4. Always cooperate with insurance investigators.
  5. Know your rights. Check with your state’s department of insurance for important consumer guidelines.

While it’s never a good thing to be a victim of insurance fraud, experiencing travel-related fraud is always a bit more jarring, especially since it often happens when you’re nowhere near the comfort of home. Remember that there are always people willing to help if you need it. Remember also, that your state’s insurance department keeps a list of all the licensed insurers in your state.

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