MAIC has been vigilant in its approach to stopping car crash scammers (also known as claim farming) in recent years, with the first successful prosecution occurring earlier this year.
You can read more about car crash scamming, and how you can work with MAIC to prevent it here.
The Queensland Government has now also introduced new laws to stop the practice of claim farming of personal injury and workers compensation claims in Queensland.
What is claim farming and why is it illegal?
Claim farmers are scammers that target people who have suffered personal injury or abuse – they use many different tactics, through phone, social media, email or even in person.
Claim farmers may also imply they act on behalf of government agencies or insurers, and induce or harass individuals to make a claim with a promise of quick, easy and significant compensation, or even offer to help with medical treatment or other services.
These scammers do not work in the best interests of those they approach – they try to profit off the claimant’s misfortune by on-selling claims and individual information to a lawyer or claim management company.
The Queensland Government has introduced new laws to stop the practice of claim farming of personal injury and workers’ compensation claims in Queensland.
Lawyers must now declare that they have not paid a claim farmer for a claim throughout the claims process.
If you, or someone you know has been contacted by a claim famer: say no and report it.
For further information visit www.qld.gov.au/claimfarming