Monitor the news and you are bound to come across stories about insurance agents trying to scam clients, prospective clients or insurance companies in a quest for ill-gotten booty.
Naturally you never seem to hear about the good, important work the vast majority of insurance agents are doing every day to help protect clients and their families – it's just not newsworthy, with the rare exception of a human interest story about someone going way over and above to help someone in a difficult position.
Still, we can learn from some of the bad apples, even if our jaws are agape at the nerve of these people for the terribly unethical actions they have chosen to undertake in the name of money or malice.
Here are some "straight from the headlines" recent examples of agents behaving badly:
• "Crime against honour": The owner of an insurance company in Castellón, Spain reportedly tried to seek revenge against two female former clients for not renewing coverage with his company in a particularly devious way.
Police arrested the man, accusing him of posting online ads offering "free sex" with their phone numbers. The Local said the ads received more than 75 views in the short time they were posted, resulting in numerous calls and messages.
After one of the women also reported having an argument with someone at an insurance company about not renewing insurance, the police discovered that the ad had been produced by that same company and arrested the author. The suspect has been released with charges after testifying and will have to appear again in court at a date not yet specified.
• Fraudulent policy replacement: On May 19,a Pennsylvania appellate court affirmed a $300,000 judgment against Riversource Life Insurance Co. in a suit accusing the company and its agent of making fraudulent misrepresentations in the sale of a couple's variable universal life policy, concluding that the evidence supported the trial judge's finding.
