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Plaintiff Fraud

Plaintiff Fraud

Published on // Written by McCarthy, Rowden & Baker

A Mattoon Personal Injury Attorney on How Adjusters View Plaintiff Fraud

Insurance adjusters can be slow to settle personal injury cases even where there is a strong case against their insured. However, if the adjuster perceives some inconsistency in the case, that can lead to a suspicion of fraud on behalf of the plaintiff who is bringing the claim.

Types of Insurance Fraud

The most egregious type of insurance fraud arises where an individual stages or intentionally causes some sort of accident. Another type may be if an incident occurred that legitimately injured a person, but that person exaggerated his or her injuries in an effort to collect a larger settlement. Additionally, it is important to realize that fraud can result not only from assertively making a false representation but also may be found if a person fails to disclose information that legally must be disclosed.

Circumstances that may Trigger a Fraud Allegation

Although many times the following circumstances can be logically explained and are not indicative of fraud, an adjuster’s suspicions may be aroused where:

  • The plaintiff is experiencing financial distress: many adjusters believe economic difficulties can easily lead to false claims or provide incentive to embellish one’s injuries.
  • Suspicious behavior: if the claimant doesn’t have common forms of identification or no apparent permanent address, for example, these can be red flags. Similarly, if he or she hand delivers requested documentation, it may seem that an awareness of mail fraud is involved.
  • The claimant is overly aggressive: if the plaintiff seems overly familiar with the claims process and pushes for a quick settlement, an adjuster may conclude the claimant has pursued other injury claims previously.

Contact a Mattoon Personal Injury Attorney for Legal Advice

Experienced personal injury lawyers understand how to present a claim in the best possible light in order to achieve the best possible result. For questions on your specific case, call McCarthy, Rowden & Baker, Mattoon personal injury lawyers, at (800) 373-60050.