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ICBC fraud rampant: poll

Is fraud an accepted part of dealing with ICBC? B.C. drivers appear to think so.

Survey results released Thursday by the insurer show about 80 per cent believe at least some percentage of claims contain an element of fraud. 

ICBC says the most common examples it sees are exaggerations of injuries or damage to vehicles. Other common scams include claiming old damage, that a person is unable to return to work, and false accounts of how a crash happened.

Fourteen per cent of drivers think more than half of claims involve fraud, and ICBC itself estimates that 10 to 20 per cent do.

Fifty-four per cent of respondents said they know of someone who has filed a fraudulent claim.

"It's disturbing to hear from our customers that they feel our society has gotten to a point where committing fraud is simply accepted," ICBC spokesman Chris Fairbridge says.

The insurer investigated more than 16,000 cases last year, with 54 per cent found to contain an element of fraud. 

– with files from CTV Vancouver



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