North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey today announced that Patricia Arlene Gaylor, 31, of 501 Jones Ferry Road, Carrboro, was charged with insurance fraud and attempting to obtain property by false pretense, both felonies.
Special agents with the Department of Insurance’s Criminal Investigations Division accuse Gaylor of attempting to obtain $3,000 from USAA Insurance Co. by filing a fraudulent renters’ policy claim for damage to a ninth-generation MacBook Pro laptop that she did not possess, purchase or own.
According to the criminal summons, photos she submitted for the claim showed an older model MacBook laptop.
The offenses occurred on Jan. 30.
“It’s estimated that property and casualty insurance fraud costs insurance customers $120 billion a year in increased premiums,” said Commissioner Causey. “The Department of Insurance has reinforced its criminal investigations procedures and personnel in an effort to make more arrests to keep fraud from driving up insurance costs.”
If you suspect insurance fraud or other white-collar crimes, please report it. You may report fraud anonymously by calling the N.C. Department of Insurance Criminal Investigations Division at 919-807-6840. Information is also available at www.ncdoi.gov.
