You know that faking an injury is a kind of fraud if you end up making an insurance claim for it, but did you know that just exaggerating your injuries could be fraud, too? It is a crime to defraud the insurance agency by falsely representing the facts of your case. Even if you’re just trying to make your case sound a little bit more serious, you could end up facing serious allegations of fraud.
Here’s an example. You were working on cutting down a tree branch at a neighbor’s house when your ladder broke. You fell to the ground, and you hit your shoulder hard. You told the neighbor you felt fine once you got up, but after a short while, you decided that you needed to go to the emergency room.
There, you were told that you just had a bad bruise and some soft-tissue injuries, but you insisted that the injury was bothering you. The medical team kept you overnight because of your alleged pain level. That exaggeration of your pain made it into the medical report.
When you spoke with the insurance company, you started to exaggerate about what happened. At first, you fell six feet. Next time, you claimed it was 10. You said your shoulder was bruised. The next time, you said you had lost mobility in it, even though it was moving fine.
This kind of fraud is dangerous. If you get caught, you could face serious fines and penalties. That’s why it’s best to be honest when making an insurance claim. You don’t want to face an arrest over an injury that wasn’t as severe as you were making it out to be.