When involved in a personal injury case, you may repeatedly hear certain words and phrases that may imply that you could be filing a fraudulent claim. Your St. Augustine accident lawyer explains many of the popular ones.
Nanosecond lawyer letter test: According to your St. Augustine accident attorney, this is when your lawyer’s letter of representation happens to have the same date as your injury. Sometimes the letter happens on a date prior to the injury! This is a red flag to insurance adjusters, and you might be marked as someone who filed a fraudulent claim.
Exaggeration test: Your St. Augustine accident lawyer believes from experience that adjusters will know if your complaints and disability are out of proportion to similar accidents and prior injuries.
Union demand test: If the union representative immediately demands to know whether or not the claim has been accepted, it sets off a red flag that you might be overanxious.
Dr. Whiplash: St. Augustine accident lawyer cautions that if your attending physician has a history as being pro-plaintiff and is continually used as the treating physicians by the same personal injury law firm, St. Augustine accident lawyer knows that this is a red flag to adjusters.
M.I.A.: When the adjuster calls and you are never home, especially during the day, this sets off a red flag. The adjuster will wonder why you are never home if you are disabled.
Couch potato: The adjuster calls when you are home, but you won’t take the call because you are watching TV.
Greenback poultice test: St. Augustine accident lawyer warns that adjusters look to see if in addition to you limping as you pick up your compensation check you are still limping outside the building.
Big case: When your claim may involve a large amount of money because of the loss of wages/wage-earning capacity claim.
Deep-throat: Your St. Augustine accident lawyer warns of people who know you who may make an anonymous or even not-so-anonymous tip that you are working at another job or engaging in recreational activities that prove you are not injured. These people could be any of the following:
- coworkers
- supervisors
- underlings
- former friends
- ex-spouses
Gut-feeling test: Some claim adjusters have a gut feeling based on their experience that your claim is not completely honest. This is also known as “stink test” or “smell test.”
Saccharine test: Hostile and aggressive claimants might be good candidates for surveillance, but your St. Augustine accident attorney warns that even being overly nice may be a red flag.
For more information on how insurance adjusters look for fraudulent cases, contact St. Augustine insurance attorney Attorneys at Canan Law at (904) 849-2266.
