Aviva Canada integral in fraud charges, Canada-wide warrant, arrest

Insurer joins forces with Police, Crown, College of Physicians and IBC to stop insurance fraud

TORONTO, April 2, 2013 /CNW/ - With the public, media and government increasingly aware of the role fraud plays in the cost of auto insurance , Aviva Canada, one of Canada's leading providers of home, auto, leisure and business insurance, today applauds the announcement of fraud charges against the owner of a healthcare clinic in Lindsay, Ontario.

Aviva Canada's anti-fraud team's investigation alleged that Mr. Arun Reddy posed as a physician and illegally treated Aviva Canada policyholders for injuries they sustained in a motor vehicle accident.

After collaboration between Aviva Canada, the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC), the Toronto Police Service, the College of Physicians and Surgeons and members of the Crown Attorney's office in Toronto, a Canada-wide arrest warrant was issued for Mr. Reddy. It is alleged that Mr. Reddy closed his clinic in Lindsay during the investigation and opened another in Alberta, where he was arrested on Saturday, March 30 and charged with 15 counts of fraud and one count of false misrepresentation. During the weekend, Mr. Reddy remained in custody and was escorted from Alberta to Toronto by Toronto Police Service detectives to face the charges. Several other insurers have also joined Aviva Canada as complainants.

"Stopping this type of fraudulent activity early is key," said Greg Dunn, Executive Vice President, Claims and Customer Service Operations with Aviva Canada. "It means we prevent illegally-operated clinics not only from taking money from Canadians through the insurance product, but also from abusing the trust of everyone who relies on these healthcare providers for their recovery and to restore their lives."

Building on already strong capabilities, Aviva Canada has stepped up its tough approach to tackling fraud with more dedicated resources and an investment in technology that aims to identify fraud and even anticipate the potential for fraud before it happens. With an industry-leading anti-fraud team in place, plus solid public sector and industry collaboration, Aviva is well positioned to combat fraud better than ever before.

"We are committed to working with the industry and authorities to reduce insurance fraud and its costs to everyone," Dunn said.

The Toronto Police Service press release on the arrest can be found here.

About Aviva Canada
Aviva Canada is one of the leading Property and Casualty insurance groups in Canada providing home, automobile, recreational vehicle, group and business insurance to more than three million customers. A wholly-owned subsidiary of UK-based Aviva plc, the company has more than 3,000 employees, 25 locations and 1,700 independent broker partners. Aviva Canada and its employees invest in positive change including through the Aviva Community Fund and Eva's Initiatives, its partner in Aviva's global Street to School program to help homeless and other at-risk youth reach their potential.

For more information visit AvivaCanada.com, our blog or our Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn pages.

SOURCE: Aviva Canada Inc.

Media Contact: 
Glenn Cooper
Senior Manager, Public Relations and Social Media
Aviva Canada Inc.
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