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Contractor Arrested on AOB Fraud

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18 Florida cities among top 50 in U.S. for fraud

Wyatt Green Mugshot

Another contractor has been arrested for an Assignment of Benefits (AOB) insurance fraud and one of his alleged victims is a Hurricane Michael survivor.  Meanwhile, recently released statistics show Florida has maintained the dubious position of number one in the nation for fraud and is home to 18 of the top 50 cities in the U.S. for fraud.  We also rank fourth in the nation in the sub-category of identity theft.

Wyatt Green, owner of Storm Restoration Specialists LLC in Jacksonville, was arrested for allegedly stealing more than $40,000 from consumers who assigned their insurance benefits to him through an AOB contract.  According to the state Department of Financial Services (DFS) Green and his staff allegedly forged customer signatures on construction documents and insurance claim payment checks that required signatures from both the homeowner and mortgage lender.

This case is another example of a bad contractor scamming Floridians and pocketing the money without actually making repairs.  The DFS investigation revealed that Green and his employees purchased 58 false bank endorsement stamps from an online manufacturer to aid in this scam.  DFS says employees of Green also admitted to allegedly forging customer signatures on construction documents required by counties and municipalities.  In some cases, construction work was never completed, and in others the work never even began.

WJXT News4 Jax reports there are several victims of Green’s alleged fraud, including a Lynn Haven owner of two homes damaged from Hurricane Michael.  He told reporters that he signed an AOB with Green’s company and that two insurance checks for more than $30,000 that were supposed to be held in trust, were instead cashed, and to this day, none of the repair work has been started.  You can read and watch the story here as well as this story with another customer from First Coast News.  Green is also under investigation by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation for unlicensed activity as a roofing contractor.

(August 2019 Update: More charges filed against Wyatt Green)

The Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book report by the Federal Trade Commission shows 1 of every 10 Floridians was a victim of fraud in 2018, with the average rip-off amounting to $400.  Florida has the highest per-capita fraud rate in the nation (1,002 cases per 100,000 people), followed by Georgia, Nevada, Delaware, and Maryland.  There were 210,174 cases of fraud in the state last year, amounting to $84.2 million in losses.

Debt collection fraud was at the top of the categories of different hijinks committed in the Sunshine State, representing 29% of all cases, with identity theft in second place (15%), and imposter scams (13%) in third place.   You can view more details in the chart at right from the report.

The Top 10 Florida cities for fraud by number of cases:
1. Miami/Fort Lauderdale Metro Area
2. Pensacola Metro Area
3. Tampa/St. Petersburg Metro Area
4. The Villages
5. Orlando Metro Area
6. Jacksonville
7. Daytona Beach Metro Area
8. Melbourne Metro Area
9. Port St. Lucie
10. Tallahassee

The remaining 8 Florida metropolitan statistical areas that made the Top 50 cities in the U.S. for fraud per capita are:

  • Gainesville Metro Area (13th in US)
  • Ocala Metro Area (21st)
  • Sebastian-Vero Beach Metro Area (24th)
  • Punta Gorda Metro Area (26th)
  • Lakeland-Winter Haven Metro Area (29th )
  • North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton Metro Area (34th)
  • Cape Coral-Fort Myers Metro Area (35th)
  • Homosassa Springs Metro Area (1st in the US for per capita fraud) This relatively rural area, a 45-minute drive north of Tampa, had 1,525 reports per 100,000 population. That’s 64% more than #2 on the U.S. list, Santa Fe, New Mexico.  What the heck is going on in quiet Homosassa Springs, home of beautiful clear springs and gentle manatee shows?

For reported identify theft, the top states were Georgia, Nevada, California, Florida, and Texas.  Florida had nearly 38,000 reported identity thefts, led by credit card fraud.

DFS recently launched a Fraud Free Florida initiative to encourage Floridians to report fraud wherever they see it happening and better coordinate investigative efforts.

LMA Newsletter of 4-22-19

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“Lisa Miller is a true champion for the insurance industry, with her regular updates! We appreciate all you do and keeping us up to date on priority issues!”

Gillian Lloyd, Account Executive
Zywave
Milwaukee, WI

“Great article on Risk Rating 2.0!”

Austin Perez, Senior Policy Representative for Federal Housing, Valuation, Insurance and Commercial Issues
National Association of Realtors
Washington, D.C.

“Your newsletter is fabulous!  I greatly appreciate the topics you expose, so that insurance professionals like myself can keep up with the latest events that affect the public we serve and ourselves.”

Cynthia Hoehn, Independent Property & Casualty Personal Lines insurance agent
Clermont, FL

“I have followed your weekly newsletter and podcasts and now have a full appreciation for what you bring to this industry.  You are an inspiring force, plain and simple.  I wanted you to know that you make a difference.  Thank you for all you do!”

Jeffrey Karam, CPCU
Bradenton, FL

“Another great Newsletter on Florida industry this week.  Your service and advocacy in Florida is very important to keeping me updated and apprised of the Florida insurance laws, trends and overall environment.  Something similar is very much needed in Louisiana, too.”

Jennifer Tedesco, Esq., Claims Director
Pharos Claims Services
Orlando, FL

“Just wanted to say that I thoroughly love your newsletter. It’s is always informative and insightful to the ins and outs of our industry.  You are an inspiration and an important asset in the insurance world.  Keep up the great work!” 

Cynthia Scott, President
University Insurance Group
Davie, FL

“Thank you Lisa for staying on top of, as well as advocating, for Florida residents and legislative reform. Your newsletters are very informative and enjoy reading the points of view.”  

Shawna Miller, Sr. Claims Quality Assurance & Compliance Manager
Florida Peninsula Insurance Company
Jacksonville, FL

“Lisa this is another great newsletter, and we appreciate the time and energy you put into these informative updates – you are on top of these topics!”

Mike Graham, CEO
Smart Vent Products, Floodproofing.com, & Risk Reduction Plus
Juno Beach, FL

“Just a quick note to let you know how much I have appreciated your newsletter over the years and the assistance they offer for those in the field of claims. We depend on the information more than you will ever know!”

Laurie Rasberry, Chief Claims Officer
Acorn Claims
Prosper, Texas

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