Insurance Agent Imposter Arrested for Selling Fake Proof of Insurance Cards

The Florida Division of Insurance Fraud arrested a second woman allegedly involved in selling phony proof of insurance cards.

The arrest followed an investigative story, “25 Percent of Florida Drivers Don’t Have Insurance,” by Tampa Bay’s WTSP 10 News exposing the widespread problem and how a Progressive Insurance employee (not a licensed agent) was accused of selling fake insurance cards. After that report aired, the employee in the news piece handed over the name of a second woman, who was then charged with acting as an insurance agent and selling fake proof of insurance.

According to the updated news story, “10 News Report Leads to Fraud Arrest,” the woman was purportedly able to sell the phony insurance cards because Geico allows customers to print a temporary insurance card if they register online. Investigators reveal the woman was completing several fake applications and then selling the cards. The state recommended that Geico change its practice.

Florida is one of the top five states for uninsured drivers. The Division of Insurance Fraud figures the number of drivers in Florida who have no insurance or phony insurance is 25 percent. That puts the odds of someone being involved in an accident and not having liability coverage at one in four drivers, according to the division.

A major reason insured drivers are at risk is because the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) does not have a system in place to verify the legitimacy of insurance cards. While the DMV is working to have a computerized database to check if insurance cards are real, no target date has been set at this time.