Slip and fall scams
Have you ever slipped on something while shopping for groceries or inside a museum? You could potentially file a personal injury claim — so long as it’s a real injury, not a fake slip and fall scam.
This type of scam, where someone pretends to hurt themselves due to negligent placement of food or products, happens just about every day. One estimate puts the daily damage at $8 million.[4]
A man tried to fake an injury by falling down an escalator casino. Another man planted lettuce on the ground so he would fall on it. One woman, a psychic, participated in multiple falls with a friend that always resulted in her hurting her nose; the two earned the nickname “the Nose Ring.” Security camera footage helped debunk their claims.
Perhaps the most spectacular slip and fall racket comes from Isabel Parker, a grandmother who stole more than $130,000 in false insurance claims between 1993 and 2000 using slip and fall schemes. Parker participated in at least 49 such falls.[5]
Just in case you were thinking of trying this — don’t. It often results in jail time and substantial fines. In Parker’s situation, she pled guilty to eight counts of insurance fraud, six counts of forgery and six counts of theft by deception and related offenses. She went to jail for six months.
And as the Impractical Jokers have proved, a witness typically won’t back up your story.
You never know what life will throw your way, so it’s good to have insurance to cover yourself and your belongings in just about any situation. Want to learn more about types of personal liability coverage? Get started here.