November 1, 2019
OLYMPIA, Wash. – Vijay K. Prasad was charged in King County Superior Court with filing a false insurance claim after an investigation by Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler’s Criminal Investigations Unit (CIU).
According to the investigation, Prasad filed an auto insurance claim with Progressive Insurance on Sept. 20, 2018. She stated that she was in a collision on her way to work at 7 a.m. while driving her 2008 Kia Rondo. Progressive’s records show that Prasad reinstated her lapsed policy on the car at 7:27 a.m. that day and another Progressive policyholder who was involved in the collision reported it occurred at 6:34 a.m. A police report showed the collision happened at 6:37 a.m.
Progressive denied the claim and referred the case to Kreidler’s CIU, as required by state law.
Kreidler’s CIU investigates insurance fraud and works with the Washington State Patrol and state and local prosecutors on criminal cases. Insurance fraud costs the average family $400 to $700 per year in increased premiums. Insurance companies are required by law to report fraud to the commissioner.
Consumers can report suspected insurance fraud on the insurance commissioner’s website.