Motor Insurance consultant jailed for staging accidents

CJhaughey

As reported in the Examiner today,
Mr Tommy Maher seems to have been very busy staging accidents.
Is an Insurance consultant a broker I wonder?
Anyway good to see some kind of justice at work.
http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/cork-car-crash-organiser-jailed-for-defrauding-insurance-firms-381449.html

Liam McPoyle

He wasn't a broker, he was an independent claims assessor at some point before 2000, got into the building trade then lost his shirt on that.

While its good to see jail time for a fraudster, one has to ask what censure are the people that actually made the claims facing?

To Elland Back

Another victory against fraud, but we need dozens more to start seeing an impact on our premiums. As Business Cat says, what will happen to the others involved? Gardai have their names and addresses from the claims they submitted

Key phrase here in the report

“However the key to reducing this type of fraud is to eliminate the financial incentive; this can be achieved by replacing monetary compensation with medical care for whiplash type injuries."

CJhaughey

To Elland Back wrote: »

Key phrase here in the report

“However the key to reducing this type of fraud is to eliminate the financial incentive; this can be achieved by replacing monetary compensation with medical care for whiplash type injuries."

I've been talking about this but it seems people are reluctant to have this possible goldmine taken away from them, even if it costs them a huge amount in the long run in increased insurance premiums.

Special Circumstances

CJhaughey wrote: »

I've been talking about this but it seems people are reluctant to have this possible goldmine taken away from them, even if it costs them a huge amount in the long run in increased insurance premiums.

Dude, if they can square it with my boss 100% and put me up somewhere nice for the full duration of the treatment, until all symptoms are gone - cool. Even they can arrange it for my house.

I suspect what they want is to not pay anything for time off work. Or travel. Or missing out on the things you could have been doing otherwise. So, as compensation for somebody else's stupidity, you will take time from your own schedule after work to travel to a designated approved centre where they will do the barest possible minimum for you. (Remember... as they are always keen to point out... their obligation is to their bottom line and their shareholders first and foremost). When you have finished the barest statistically acceptable treatment schedule you will be told "you're cured or you're milking it, either way get the f*ck out you're increasing our air con bill by being here a second longer than we want you here"

Also... if you think all or most of the savings will be fed back to the customers rather than perks and mercs.... come on, it's a legally required consumer product - people have to buy it!
GIFSoup

Aongus Von Heisenberg

Two years custodial seems fairly light for being the organiser at the heart of a large fraud ring (50 arrests were made).

I found the judge's following comment odd :

“It is not as if insurance companies want an invitation to attack the innocent. They are well able to use crimes like this to protect themselves and play on the public."

Does it suggest a predisposed bias against the primary victims of the fraud?

To Elland Back

Special Circumstances wrote: »

Dude, if they can square it with my boss 100% and put me up somewhere nice for the full duration of the treatment, until all symptoms are gone - cool. Even they can arrange it for my house.

The current situation allows you to claim for treatment for your injuries. If you are not injured and it is a fraudulent claim, there is no follow up as whether you bothered going to get treatment or not. By compensating you for your lost work, additional expenses etc, they are seeking to pay the additional medical bills directly for the treatment that is actually done.