Insurance fraud unit to prosecute county case
Topeka ? State and Douglas County prosecutors have filed charges that allege a woman bilked residents in connection with the sale of hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of annuities, officials announced Thursday.
In a joint news conference, Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger and Atty. Gen. Phill Kline said the case represented the first charges brought by a revamped and strengthened fraud unit in the Kansas Department of Insurance.
The unit and Douglas County Dist. Atty. Christine Kenney filed a 14-count criminal complaint against Rhonda Wilder, officials said. The complaint charges that Wilder, 32, Wichita, violated state laws dealing with insurance and forgery in connection with the sale of annuities. Wilder is a former Lawrence resident.
Praeger declared she would make stopping insurance fraud one of her top priorities, saying that in addition to the Douglas County case, the fraud unit was investigating alleged insurance crimes in seven Kansas counties.
Seven attorneys in the Insurance Department’s legal division were given new powers by Atty. Gen. Phill Kline, making them special assistant attorneys general and able to prosecute insurance crimes throughout the state.
The establishment of the fraud unit within the Insurance Department and the expanded authority “sends a very clear message to those who prey on the vulnerable that they will be brought to justice,” Kline said.
Praeger said she hoped the department’s increased emphasis on combating insurance fraud “will help keep premium increases under control.”
Staff writer Eric Weslander contributed to this report.
| ¢ Make sure your insurance company and agent are licensed.¢ If you are in a vehicle accident, call the police. Get licenses and information of all drivers and names of all passengers. If possible, keep a disposable camera, pen and paper in your car to record accident damages and details.¢ Read your insurance policy closely, and pay only for coverage that you ordered.¢ Be wary if the price of coverage seems way too low, or is sold by telephone or door-to-door.¢ Always write your premium check to your insurer, not the agent.¢ Never sign a blank claim form. |