For the first five months of this year, Manitoba Public Insurance’s TIPS Line has received a 63 per cent increase in calls compared to the same time period last year. A total of 290 calls were handled, resulting in 52 investigations being opened by MPI’s Special Investigation Unit.
“Our Corporation is committed to reducing auto insurance fraud. This increase in calls is attributed to heightened awareness about auto insurance fraud,” said Curtis Wennberg, vice-president, Customer Service and COO, Manitoba Public Insurance. “Earlier this year the Corporation launched it’s first-ever, fraud-themed public awareness campaign which successfully resulted in raising awareness among Manitobans. The TIPS Line is a valuable resource in unearthing fraudulent claims.”
MPI’s campaign, “Fraud: We All Pay”, focused on how auto insurance fraud in Manitoba affects all rate payers – about $50 a year per person.
- A recent MPI survey of 800 respondents reported the following:
- More than 50 per cent of respondents stated they are more likely to report a fraud after seeing the “Fraud: We All Pay” ad
- More than 50 per cent of respondents acknowledged heightened awareness about MPI’s TIPS Line
- 70 per cent of respondents acknowledged having a raised awareness that auto insurance fraud is a problem
- More than 50 per cent admitted that auto insurance fraud was something they had not thought about
Anyone with information about auto insurance fraud is encouraged to call the MPI’s TIPS Line: 204-985-8477 or toll-free 1-877-985-8477. All calls are anonymous.
Suspicious claims are handled by MPI’s Special Investigation Unit. As a result of its investigative expertise Manitobans were saved nearly $13 million in fraudulent claims last year – the highest claims savings in a decade.
