A San Diego woman was arrested on suspicion of insurance fraud for allegedly filing a fraudulent auto claim after a collision, state Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones said Wednesday.
Tamickeua Jones, 30, was arrested Tuesday on three counts of insurance fraud.
Jones was allegedly involved in the collision while driving uninsured, then purchased insurance after the accident and filed a claim.
“This case and the 200 arrests in November should serve as a warning to consumers to not drive without insurance,” Jones said. “These are not victimless crimes. Every consumer pays for fraud through higher insurance rates when insurers pass the losses on to policyholders.”
In December, the defendant rear-ended another vehicle while driving without insurance, according to the DOI. A few hours later, she allegedly purchased a new insurance policy and, within minutes of doing so, reported to the insurance company that she had been in an accident in an attempt to get the insurer to cover the damage to the uninsured vehicle.
According to the DOI, the “crash and buy” scheme is the most common type of auto insurance fraud in California.
Last year, the DOI, along with several law enforcement partners, conducted a statewide sweep, arresting nearly 200 people for “crash and buy” fraud, including 35 in San Diego.