SAPS warns against fraudulent claims
The Vosloorus SAPS has issued a warning to members of the public against making false claims when reporting home burglary incidents.
Captain Piet Rossouw, the station’s media liaison officer, described what he called a “growing tendency by members of the public to make false claims when listing items stolen by criminals during house burglaries”.
“They simply exaggerate the number of stolen goods with the hope of defrauding the insurance company when they lodge the claim with the insurer,” explained Capt Rossouw, who warned that people who are caught engaging in this fraudulent activity will be arrested and charged with fraud.
According to Capt Rossouw, this is not the first time the Vosloorus SAPS has encountered fraudulent inaccuracies when people report house-burglary cases.
“You also find this practise is quite common among people who report their vehicles stolen or broken into to the police – often they commit the same fraud.
The practise, says Capt Rossouw, costs insurance companies millions annually in lost revue paid out to such false insurance claims made by clients. Demonstrating how the scheme is operated, Capt Rossouw said it often starts immediately after the robbery or burglary, where the claimant is expected to first open a criminal case with the local police in order to authenticate the claim.
“As soon as the person leaves the police station with the verified statement obtained from the police detailing the reported crime, the person then goes home and alters the details of the stolen items on the attached police docket,” explained Capt Rossouw.
He said that many of these fraudsters have been caught cheating by their insurance companies for altering information about items stolen in their homes during a house burglary. Capt Rossouw said many of the claims are often rejected by the insurance companies, leading to the complainant returning to the police and demanding that the case be withdrawn for fear of facing fraud charges.
Warning members of the public against the practise, Capt Rossouw said, “No one will be spared if caught engaging in such a scam. I want people to know that anyone who is found will face the full might of the law.”
“This time we are not going to take this matter lightly, especially when members of the public come here to lay criminal charges for theft and burglary,” he said.
