Insurance fraud in the vast workers’ compensation realm

This one was flagrant. A sign installer in Houston who claimed a work-linked injury prevented him from doing his job was subsequently found to be elsewhere … installing signs.

That is classic – though concededly not creative – workers’ compensation fraud. The failed ruse unsurprisingly landed the claimant in hot legal water. A Texas court recently ordered him to pay back $26,000-plus in ill-gotten gains to his defrauded insurer. And, notably, it charged him with a felony offense.

It is sheer understatement to simply note that workers’ comp fraud is a significant and broad-based problem across the United States. Reportedly, employees’ false claims in that realm collectively cost companies, consumers and insurers a whopping $7.2 billion a year. A media spotlighting of workplace injury scams underscores that individuals try to cheat the system in myriad ways by making bogus claims such as these:

  • Faked allegations concerning injuries that never occurred or that were staged to fool employers and insurance providers
  • Assertions that injuries sustained while away from work were on-the-job occurrences
  • Escalated claims that falsely exaggerate the severity of an injury
  • So-called “double dipping” (note the example provided in the lead paragraph of today’s post)

The criminal defense attorneys at Hilder & Associates in Houston collectively bring many decades of experience to bear on behalf of diverse clientele in fraud cases. We stress on our website that the firm’s proven advocacy in such matters extends to “both sides of insurance claims.” Claimants and insurers alike sometimes need diligent and on-point representation to defend against fraud allegations.

We welcome contacts to the firm and the opportunity to discuss our staunch commitment to delivering optimal client results in fraud-linked and other white collar criminal defense matters.

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