Resources

Alarm bells are ringing for Albertans and Équité Association investigators, as there is growing trend in predatory tow truck incidents in the province. These predatory actions include unjustifiably inflated storage and tow bills, which are rooted in fraudulent practices. While the scale and violence Ontario witnessed with recent towing wars has not yet reached Alberta, the government of Alberta has recognized this as a concerning trend and a threat to public safety. There have been reports of towing operators’ vehicles still displayed 416 area codes from Toronto, demonstrating that Ontario towers are bringing predatory strategies to Alberta. Ontario was the testing ground for predatory tow practices, and trends show that Alberta is becoming the proving grounds.

Cargo theft continues to be a growing problem in Canada. The financial impacts of cargo theft ripple all the way to the end consumer, while the harm it causes within the supply chain industry is not only financial, but also physical. Recognized as a low risk, high reward crime, cargo theft is often connected to organized crime networks who use the proceeds to fund other criminal activities, such as the trafficking of drugs and guns.

Insurance crime always has a victim. March is Fraud Prevention Month and an ideal time to raise awareness about the work the insurance industry is doing to protect honest, hardworking Canadians from insurance crime and fraud. On behalf of their members, Équité Association is fighting to stop insurance crime in its tracks through centralized detection, recovery and prevention efforts.

Équité Association and the Registered Insurance Brokers of Ontario (RIBO) are both committed to protecting Canadians on behalf of the insurance industry. This is why we are collaborating to increase public awareness about the seriousness of insurance fraud and how ghost brokers facilitate that fraud.

A staged collision is insurance fraud that puts innocent drivers, and their passengers, at risk. In some cases, the drivers of both vehicles collide intentionally, while in others, the criminal tricks innocent drivers into the crash. In either situation, the risk of injury to other road users is significant, while taxpayers are on the hook for the emergency responders, hospital care, police and clean-up efforts. With 54% of Canadians still living pay cheque to pay cheque (2022 BDO Canada Affordability Index), we need to prevent situations where money is redirected from families and into the pockets of criminals as a result of insurance crime.

When it comes to auto theft, the best offense is a good defense. In terms of prevention, Équité Association recommends using a layered approach, which consists of four categories: simple steps, anti-theft devices, vehicle immobilizers and tracking devices.

Équité Association maintains Canada’s only cargo theft database with information on stolen trucks, trailers, cargo and heavy equipment. While often an underreported crime, Canadian cargo losses increased by almost 30% in 2022 compared to the previous year. Our cargo theft database provides intelligence to law enforcement through 24/7 secure online access.

Insurance brokers and agents are the trusted and expert face of auto insurance. From breaking down the fine print in documents to providing helpful advice, they are on the frontline when it comes to providing clients with must-have information. This article is a resource for brokers and agents to share with their clients and communities to prevent drivers from becoming a victim of auto insurance fraud.

Every vehicle manufactured in Canada has a unique vehicle identification number (VIN) that can be used to track recalls, insurance registration and the history of the respective vehicle.

Accident benefits fraud is known as a ‘gateway fraud’; it is an entry point for deeply complex and sophisticated financial organized crime networks, and includes synthetic identify fraud, healthcare fraud, and more. These networks are trying to maximize insurance payouts and drain your policy by fraudulently billing for unnecessary assessments or overbilling for procedures not provided to the injured individual.