Erie Insurance: Beware of Hail Fraud

A hailstorm has just ravaged your local area, and suddenly there are people at your door telling you they can repair your home’s damage quickly and easily.

Before you sign a contract, remember that fraudsters often follow severe weather. These unscrupulous repairmen are looking to make a quick dollar. The scam involves accepting your money and then doing little or no work to repair the damage caused by the storm.

“Storm-chasing contractors are transient, moving around the country following recent storm activity to increase their chances of getting a sale,” says Chad Tuttoilmondo, a property claims specialist at Erie Insurance. “They are driven by volume and oftentimes do not have a homeowner’s best interest in mind.”

Having to deal with weather damage is bad enough; don’t become a victim of hail fraud as well.

“Due diligence should be a part of the research any homeowner does prior to hiring a contractor,” says Tuttoilmondo says. To do your part, consult a hiring a contractor checklist before you give someone the job.

Tuttoilmondo also recommends contacting your Erie Insurance Agent immediately. “Take note of the date and time of loss, and take photos that can help support your claim,” he says. A legitimate contractor will be ready to work with your insurance company throughout the repairs, while a “storm chaser” will move on in hopes of easier money.

Finally, do not authorize any repair work to be completed prior to the adjuster’s inspection. (The same applies to discarding any property that was damaged.) Evidence plays a crucial role when it comes to settling your claim.

Coalition Against Insurance Fraud: Insurers urged to report cases

An open letter from state fraud bureaus to insurers

Hello from Venus. To my neighbors from Mars, the NAIC’s Anti-Fraud Task Force discussed last week how we all have noticed a decline in referrals state fraud bureaus are receiving from insurer victims. Howard Goldblatt’s followup FraudBlog pursued that theme constructively.

Notice I used the word victim. We consider insurers just that, a victim.

Now we agree with SIU directors that the “black hole” still exists in some instances.  We find ourselves concentrating so hard on cases that make the cut that we often forget to give you feedback. We really don’t want you to stop reporting because you are weary of the “black hole.”

State fraud bureaus also hope you remember your obligation to report cases to us. Some states even have made it a crime not to report. Let me stress that reporting to us should not feel like an obligation. You should have faith that we will do the best we can to fight insurance fraud and make sure that every state’s residents are protected from paying for those who break the law.

We have really tried hard over the past few years to give you options to report to us in a convenient manner. Many of you have offered excellent and appreciated suggestions. We have listened to your input, and have implemented many of your ideas. We know the process is not always perfect, though it is getting better.

We have partnered with organizations such as the Coalition to educate you on how to report insurance fraud to us. We certainly welcome any dialogue that can put this issue to rest. I actually asked Howard this week for help in reaching out to you. We want to be the first to step up and ask that you join us in a dialogue that can help us serve all states’ residents while preserving your business interests.

I must say that we have a strong group of fraud directors across this great country. We are committed to eliminating insurance fraud. We are meeting in Seattle, Wash. in a few weeks. I am sure this issue will be discussed at length. We really seek your help. We are all in, over here in Venus.

About the author: Shane Guyant is director of the Criminal Investigations Division of the North Carolina Department of Insurance. He also chairs the NAIC’s Antifraud Task Force.

New Mother's Support Group: Talks

Every month we have experts to talk on a range of parenting-related subjects. We always look for topics that are of interest for parents living in Singapore and for speakers who are familiar with the challenges of being a parent and with the quirks of parenting in Singapore. 

The details of the upcoming talk are available below - please register your attendance with us via Meetup.

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​When?

Second Monday of every month.

Talks start at 10am, registration from 9.45am.

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​​Where?

International Medical Clinic’s Function Room

One Orchard Boulevard (Camden Medical Centre), Level 9

Singapore 248649

Venue generously provided by International Medical Clinic

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Organiser

Vanessa Contumelias

Sonia Divekar

Laura Edge

Next Monthly Talk: 14 November

Topic: Travel Tips

Cost: $10

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With a large number of public holidays, great travel connections and short journey times, we will give you insights of great weekend destinations, how to get the most out of living in the region and where to find the best deals. .

Fay Ashworth moved to Singapore in September 2012 and has worked as a consultant with Singapore Expat Solutions since January 2015.  Fay is a qualified teacher and was a director of a City broking house in London prior to moving to Singapore.  She is the mother of two young children and chairs the nůmama choir in her spare time.

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You are welcome to bring your child(ren) to the monthly talks.

There is a selection of baby toys to play with while you sit and enjoy the morning as well as digital baby weighing scales, information leaflets, tea and coffee. ​As space is often limited at our events, we respectfully remind you that helpers are not admitted.

Entrance is $10 for members (please bring your cards) and non-members are welcome to join on the door.  

Anti-fraud Organization Tokyo, Japan Trust Seal

Japan Company Trust Organization "JCTO" is an anti-fraud organization in Japan. With Headquarter in Tokyo, the Organization registers real Japanese companies with physical address confirmation.

The "Trust Seal" is issued to genuine Japanese companies only. To register with “JCTO", a company must have registered in Japan, must have clean & clear records, and must have no criminal back-ground.

For your best security, always make sure that the address of the visited website matches the address you are expecting. Make sure that the URL of each page begins with http://www.japancompanytrust.org/....

If you encountered a JCTO "TRUST SEAL" that is used incorrectly, please report it to JCTO.

If the information on the seal’s verification page does not match the information of the site, when the seal is clicked, no information pops-up, the seal has been modified in any way, or the seal is being used to promote phishing or illegal activities

JCTO is not and does not undertake to be responsible for content or quality of product (s) for sale on a Web site on which a JCTO "Trust Seal" is posted. Search for "JCTO" Approved Japanese Companies

Hawkfield Gallery Fine Arts Consultants: About the Owner

Sally Caverly is an art lover, researcher and conservationist. Born in 1962, she grew up in Massachusetts and on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. Sally holds a Masters of Education, a Bachelors of Arts in marketing from Simmons College and a diploma from Phillips Academy, Andover. After serving as Market Research Department Head at Houghton Mifflin Company, she operated an online retail store. Sally currently serves as a Director at the North and South Rivers Watershed Association.

Sally developed a love for the wildlife and the mountains of New Hampshire's Lakes Region early in life. Her taste in art is an extension of these loves. Her passion for art collecting and her interest in research were acquired through family environment, formal education and work experience.

Sally's grandfather was a carver and painter. Her father dabbled in painting until her mother displayed an eye for a well-composed painting. The youngest of five children, she was in tow in the 70's and 80's when her parents amassed an important collection of American impressionist paintings and sculpture. They visited New England antique shops, galleries, auction houses and private homes. The auction paddle was sometimes passed to Sally, beginning in her teens.

In her twenties, Sally began her own collection by purchasing a pastel of ducks by William Henry Chandler. She became a regular at art and antique haunts, often with a baby on her hip and a toddler in hand. While following the artists she grew up with, others also caught her eye.

Since 2008, Sally has added to her early foundation in classic art forms. She has studied American decoys and other folk art. Attending and exhibiting at most of the major decoy and sporting art shows and sales, Sally has visited folk art shows and museums, as well as the homes of private collectors. Specializing in East Coast carvers of decoys and decorative songbird miniatures, Sally also has an interest in American sporting art painters Frank Benson, John Whorf and A. L. Ripley.

When not researching or pursuing art, Sally tutors special needs students. She also enjoys vegetable gardening and spending time with her family and the dogs, cats and chickens she keeps on Hawkfield Farm. She enjoys kayaking on the North River, bird watching on the North River and on Duxbury Beach, and downhill and cross-country skiing. Sally is most proud of nurturing three adult daughters: a geologist who is an environmental consultant, a science teacher, and a ceramicist who is employed by the Pucker Gallery in Boston. The family tradition continues!

"There is no such thing as teaching a person anything. You may be helped toward learning by a hint someone has given you, but anything you really learn has got to be learned by experience."

Frank Benson