Colorado man finds mystery driver on his insurance policy

A 31-year-old financial analyst was surprised when his insurance company recently informed him that they were increasing his six month premium by $312 for another driver in his home, who he says does not exist.

[@thomaspeacock7248]

Sounds suspiciously like Wells Fargo Bank scandal. Remember? Bank employees adding accounts to customers’ bank accounts.

[@TheKnifed]

I remember that! Some of those accounts were overdraft accounts that no one asked to be opened

[@janetpattison8474]

Yes, I definitely remember and have read about the Wells Fargo scam. I forget how much they were fined and I think they’ve gotten into more trouble since then.

[@06colkurtz]

That should be illegal.

[@ij2750]

Of course, it is illegal the insurance company has no proof in most cases who is a full-time resident in your home and unless there is a clause in your policy you can't lend your vehicle to anyone it should not matter.

[@damham5689]

If it is the insurance industry will just lobby/ bribe politicians to make it legal.

[@RpVane]

"Lost premiums" sounds like it's theft/illegal but if it was outside the law it's sure as sh!+ lawyers would be involved.

[@vulcan2882]

it is illegal ... the insurance company is committing insurance fraud.

[@GregBenson-m5b]

They make it sound like insurance companies are going to bankrupt because of this. Progressive's yearly profits went from $2b before covid to $10b this year. The CEO makes $140m yr. This is just one of the many ways they make it your fault that your rates went up.

[@ygrittesnow1701]

This is nothing more then a scam run by the insurance companies to steal more money then they are entitled to. How else do they explain adding someone to a person's policy and increasing rates without notifying the customer? People less then diligent about monitoring their policies and bills would likely just pay it.

[@unicornwarhammer1926]

2024 annual report isn’t out yet. How do you know their annual profits? Btw, net income in 2020 was ~$5.7B and ~$3.9B in 2023. I’m too lazy to go back and look at total revenue, but I did enough to show that you’re just making S*** up.

[@mattbosley3531]

I think you're a liar, since their profits were only 3.9 billion in 2023 and 2024 isn't even over yet so nobody knows what their profits will be for this year but two and a half times last year is a fantasy.

[@t.g.7180]

@@mattbosley3531 False!

[@Don.Challenger]

Hmm, have you considered there may be merger activity here, if they bought and have a subsidiary you would expect customer numbers, revenue and profit to increase but also capital investment and perhaps debt and expenses to rise as well. Don't be a half assed investigator spewing foolishness that other nincompoops will gather up thinking it's factual.

[@CL-em1tk]

Insurance purposely adding unknown person and charging to customers later denying it was mistake

[@frankvqz3799]

Maybe not a mistake but an ilegal way to charge customers. Corporations and many businesses and companies are getting greedier

[@cd3121]

They were puttin that extra money in their commision account i see it

[@janetpattison8474]

They need to be reported to the federal trade commission for corruption.

[@bigjohn2811]

This is just another scam. By this logic, you could have 4 college students with 4 vehicles and sharing a house, each being charged with 3 extra people on their insurance.

[@carminaburana9765]

"Lost premiums" is such an entitled thing to say. Just because someone is in the vicinity of a vehicle doesn't mean the insurance company is entitled to their money.

[@enfreakez]

I lived in a home as a kid with like 6 vehicles. But there was no way I was driving any of those cars because everyone kept their keys like a hawk.

[@keimorgan5654]

What if you have roommates? Are they are to add them on the plan?😒

[@phunkboxx]

How is this not an invasion of privacy

[@AxtionMag]

People need to push back against such ridiculousness from insurance companies!! DEMAND accountability!

[@celestialnubian]

Well, I can think of one guy but he's a bit occupied right now.

[@janetpattison8474]

They need to be reported to the federal trade commission for corruption. They’re thieves. I can’t believe what those stupid scammers did to me. For 10 years they got away with overcharging me by a lot. You know why? Because I called progressive direct that’s why they put the screws to me. They suck.!

[@juicysmith38235]

My parents went through this nightmare with FARMERS insurance. Their agent said bc I live there too I potentially have "access" to their cars & started charging my parents $250/mo for me. I was so angry I personally went to their location. The agent didn't care, told me that he couldn't take me off their account & then later tried to say I needed to show him proof of insurance. Agents don't care they just want money 💰💰💰 Btw I'm 35 with my own insurance driving an almost 20 yr old car.

[@florforever1]

Yeah they can't do that & you report them to the BBB & Federal Government! Then sue them for improper approval& denials of claims & charge them for the $ lost and find a different agent!

[@Duu2]

Change companies

[@sparkles8344]

I live with my son and daughter in law. I am excluded from their insurance with Alfa. However they are both listed as drivers on mine.

[@SkyHeaven9]

Insurance practice this scam to increase then make you swear on there's no additional driver that's ridiculous. Basically, it is a fraud from the insurance side and government allow it.

[@Cucumberflavoredmustard]

That Jeep is spying on you. They sold the data to a third party, and their computer spit out some probability that you had an extra driver.

[@jasziegl8983]

This. They decided there was another driver and started charging him for it. Insurance companies need a reality check or more people are going to start playing Luigis Mansion on 3DS.

[@benwagner5089]

There's also the possibility that someone is using your address without actually living there as part of a mailing scam, and the insurance company's third party spy found this scammer's info and is assuming they live at the address as well.

[@SPIKESPIEGEL1969]

The man in the video needs to check his credit reports with all 3 bureaus and see if his personal info has been compromised. Sounds like some scammer has his address etc and is using it to insure their car...

[@ronbennett7885]

Yep. The insurance may be the tip of the iceberg. After viewing and verifying info, then freezing credit reports. Not just the big three, but other consumer agencies too given what's happened.

[@TheKnifed]

They wanted me to have my mom on the insurance for my manual transmission pickup truck because we lived in the same house, even though she owned two cars and couldn't drive stick. When I moved to my apartment, I ended up changing insurance companies because they refused to drop her even after I moved.

[@TheRaiderman1]

I would demand they remove her yesterday or charge them with fraud.

[@NETWizzJbirk]

How do you do that? Are you a district Attourney?

[@jasziegl8983]

@@NETWizzJbirk LOL that one CEO in New York found out how.

[@ronbennett7885]

Insurance industry basically wrote the law. Can make such demands, but they'll go nowhere. It's a civil matter. Good luck suing an insurance company over that. Plus paying huge legal fees along the way, since it's highly unlikely any attorney would take it pro bono. As the other mentioned, DAs file charges, not the victim.

[@cropduster123]

Sue in small claims court. No attorney necessary.

[@shawncameron521]

more greedy insurance companies

[@teresawebb4526]

It happens in Arkansas as well. My son relocated for school, when he went to renew his insurance they had a 54 year old man added to his insurance, had been on it for months. When we called the insurance company said they got a notification that a new person moved into his address, instead of calling to verify they added the driver on a 22 year olds insurance policy.

[@veronikariedel7466]

I too just experienced this with Progressive Insurance. They added my Grandson whom hasn't lived here but uses my address. They cancelled my policy but I trusted to pay. Over $3000 dollars

[@SarahDigsHockey]

This happens in California too. A friend of mine had moved his elderly, dementia-ridden father into his house and listed his dad as a non-driving resident on his Progressive policy. Months later, the insurance rate tripled....why? Because Progressive took it upon themselves to change the policy and list the 90-year-old father as a driver. He canceled the Progressive policy that day.

[@maxdout564]

$10B a year is a drop in the bucket for these companies.

[@callmelittleb]

There is no 'loss premium revenue', if an uninsured driver has an accident then there is no coverage.

[@josephs3973]

They're not saying there's fraudulent claim loss. They're saying individual drivers need their own policy for the same vehicle, and failing to do that is the same as losing money. Unrealized profit they call it. Absolutely idiotic.

[@florforever1]

Right! Ain't that some garbage! 😂😂

[@dave23024]

"These companies" are called the Colorado DMV. They're the ones who attach a total stranger to your policy. It's happened to me before.

[@curly__3]

The legal system in America works on the premise of innocent until proven guilty. The insurance companies and other businesses are held to that standard of course as well and the Colorado state insurance commission needs to make sure they are held to that standard. Insurance companies, particularly car insurance which is required by law, should not be able to accuse and then bill based on unproven accusations. They must prove it first before they add charges. Let your representatives know that the Colorado isnsurance commisioner is not protecting you if anything like this happens to you.

[@navi6341]

Progressive is horrible! Anyone who has car insurance with this company should consider canceling and choosing another provider immediately!

[@RpVane]

Corporations seem to have become aware that, for the most part, they have the consumer over a barrel with the consumer having limited options. And they've become arrogant about it.

[@mikemartinez1557]

First the health insurance Now Car Insurance ripping people Off.

[@happycamper5900]

Shocking, just shocking!

[@TransitAndTeslas]

So who’s the CEO?

[@stevepettersen3283]

The car insurance companies have been doing it a long time also.

[@Darci3333]

Who and what gives these insurance companies the right to do this?????????????

[@cgpcgp3239]

Your state legislature. They regulate insurance companies.

[@oldschooldiy3240]

First, I will say the "insurance industry" is as corrupt and dirty as they get....now for anyone that cares, the way to prevent this is to sign a document that guarantees YOU, and you alone, will be the sole operator of the vehicle! Trust me, they have the forms....

[@cookiebun95]

The assumption that just because someone share your address means they'll drive your car at some point is rubbish. I've been married over 30 years and my husband has never driven my car.

[@keimorgan5654]

My mom and dad were like this. They never drove each other’s car.

[@navajojohn9448]

Why not just inform/remind policy holders if a member of your household not listed on the policy you have no coverage in event of claim. That may keep people honest.

[@briansteward5085]

It's easier for the insurance companies to just make up a name and increase premiums; like the story says, it's up to the policy holder to prove nobody lives with them.

[@SCreed-ep2ce]

This is such an unethical business practice it should be illegal and companies should be seriously fined for this.

[@hammerdragon4321]

Tell them either they take this unknown person off my policy then one of two things will happen you get sued or you lose a customer

[@florforever1]

You have control over your policy in the app! Make sure to take pictures & print the changes & if anything happens after that file suit with the law & report it to the FBI!

[@navajojohn9448]

If you rent a room or a dwelling at your address they get you for more insurance?

[@wsurfer2147]

:Progressive CEO just gave herself a raise from 12m to 15 million of yearly salary. Someones have to help pay for this.

[@bennyhonna]

I just dropped progressive over this. They’re all gangsters, but perhaps analytics will persuade them to stop this behavior.

[@StarTrekFan4Life]

Seems to me this would be simple for the insurance company..... If a person's name is not on the policy and they have an accident there is no coverage. Why would they have to charge extra?

[@OzzyRhodes]

Those extra charges apply until the matter is resolved. That leads to billions in profits,they're not refunding previous payments that have been made.

[@rmcook13]

Much ado about nothing. Like most states, Colorado insurance law allows policyholders to exclude coverage for a driver (known or unknown) under their policy and avoid a premium increase or cancellation or non-renewal. Exclude the driver and carry on...

[@karamiller9913]

You have no idea what you are talking about. It's a giant headache to correct. The policy holder has to prove it's false. Think about that. No call back, main agent always out of the office, numerous wasted trips and/or phone calls, copies for proof of residency, proof of PREVIOUS address, swearing you didn't get remarried and/or have no new girlfriend staying with you, endless excuses as to why progressive hasn't removed said person. Take your "much ado" and move on.

[@DddNnn-r2y]

Insurance staff is putting thier buddys on to scam money on claims.

[@mountainmyst9026]

Looks like another Strike for AI......Funny they blurred the name except on the letter from the insurance company at the end.

[@TheSuperPsychoKiller]

Here’s an idea, cancel your damn insurance policy and get another one from a different company.

[@pfflyer3381]

Why would they pay out claims to people who weren't insured? As if the don't use that excuse!?

[@lgarcia4628]

Why have "FULL COVERAGE" ? It used to cover anybody over 21 whether they owned the car or not? I used to borrow a car and wasn't named on the insurance, i was told if anything happened, the insurance would cover me🤷‍♀️, even when the accident was not my fault.

[@kimberlyfamoly5863]

If I had to go through that much effort, I would go through the effort and find a new insurance company. Also Progress sucks.

[@audraarndt1824]

What a scam! I lived with my brother for 2 yrs and we never used each other's cars but an insur comp can just assume we would or do bcuz we live together? What kind of BS is that?

[@marilynnjefferson8525]

At one point we had one company car (insured for any licensed driver) and one older car we owned and insured. We also had 2 teenaged sons who NEVER even once drove our car. We also had a close friend and neighbor who worked for our insurance company. He knew without any doubt that they didn’t even moved our car from the driveway to the curb. It was reassuring to know that he knew exactly who drove what. Some people wondered why we drove a small older car while our sons drove a current model upscale car. Good reason: $$$$$.

[@SPIKESPIEGEL1969]

I have no clue what your point is. Clarification required.

[@florforever1]

No he does n9t all he has to do is go online and exclude the driver & say he is the only driver on the policy. Someone obviously hacked their system I always verify my policy and who can & cannot be on it!!😊 You can change everything in the app!!😮

[@karamiller9913]

Not that easy. By the the time you correct it, the "mistake" has already cost you more premium money with no refund in sight.

[@talesfromatiredmind4785]

As someone who worked in car insurance this is quite common pay attention to any emails or mail that you receive from your car insurance company. They have to tell you when they've received information that someone is living in your household and driving your vehicle. If you do not tell them that you don't know the person they will add them to your policy. That being said if their like your kid that just got their license you're going to have to put them on the insurance.

[@vanlepthien6768]

Progressive has added unknown drivers to my policy multiple times. They have no explanation why.

[@variable57]

I like how they block out the name, then just straight show it at 3:27 😂 Lawai kanaloamekealohalanibabilakaiwi

[@DexterRose]

That's ridiculous The burden of proof that someone is driving a car should be on the insurance company

[@OldAndWithered]

This is why my grandfather would order 6 to 12 live chickens and have them shipped to businesses that gave him trouble like this. The driver would not take back live shipments and the business was stuck with it. "You give me a head ache, I'm gonna give you a headache. Best $25 ever spent." He was a union teamster for Narraganset Beer back in the day and his playbook of revenge could be made into movie. He was famous for his "toothpick solution". But that's another story.

[@thisorthat7626]

Wait until all businesses start using AI and people are going to see a lot more of these types of charges, IMO. Medical, auto, renters, etc. And it will be up to the person being charged to prove their case, like this case.

[@squadman3376]

Why do you cover the fake drivers name??......

[@tk-fn8ml]

Should file a law suit!

[@CindyF1]

Farmers did the same thing to me. They added a name to my insurance policy. I did my research and the person they named did not even have a driver's license..

[@rjs3617]

Drop Progressive! Still plenty insurance companies that won't do that. This is bad for them spread the news I am

[@keimorgan5654]

Is progressive the only insurance doing this? 😮

[@blainemitchell]

He had to fight to get the name removed that he never put on the policy? What the hell. He should send them a bill.😅

[@cwolf201]

My father's car insurance a few years ago, started using a.i. to "enhance" their monitoring. which is why a 2 car family nobody in my family ever met was added in. and the insurance tried to add cost because the family was failing at paying.. because they were put into the wrong account. so neither my father or they got any notification until the late policy kicked in

[@checle4499]

I had the opposite problem - had to carry car insurance for many months on a 26 year old son that had moved out of the house until he contacted my carrier and provided them with his own insurance card from a different company. They said I could not remove him from my policy without providing proof of his insurance. We also had to provide proof that the insured truck was no longer in my name but his and he had sold it to get a new car. Nightmare.

[@NoelDoherty-qv8vm]

When the hell did that come about, insurance from what I remember covered the person behind the wheel of the vehicle, didn't matter who was driving it.

[@doright8355]

The insurance oversight committee should impose a fine for things like this. This would keep the insurance company's practice legal.

[@flowermage7299]

Yes the same thing happened to me, where my policy info was hacked and another person put themselves on my policy. It was fraud on someones part, but Progressive did remove them from my policy with just a phone call, and yes a signed form via email.

[@okamisan3642]

They need to get rid of the misconception that if the car is insured that anyone who driving is also insured. Just about the only thing the auto industry is good at raising prices and making sure California has the most.

[@RS-cw3oy]

Progressive is awful so no surprise here

[@ano070602]

They need to do better to check the information.

[@bioold8925]

Isn't that breach of contract from their side? They have a contract with each customer and shouldn't be able to change it one-sidedly and without any form of consultation.

[@mapl3mage]

yea, unilaterally adding someone else to the insurance policy without first talking to the policyholder is very unethical and possibly in violation of state law.

[@ronbennett7885]

This practice dates back decades. It's not new. Read your insurance contract plus the laws and regulations that pertain to it. Most people assume they have rights they often don't. This is another example. Also, illustrates among the biggest privacy offenders is the government itself which supplies much of the data.

[@CharlesHuse]

I'm with Standard Insurance in Dallas. I had to sign affidavits excluding 10 people who were previous residents of the house I bought in 2016 that were too dumb to officially change their address when they moved out prior to me buying the house.

[@susanlynn3613]

Im sick of insurance companies taking our money, not paying on claims, and always going up on prices.

[@ucruci]

Insurance companies probably hope you don't notice that additional person on the policy so they can continue to collect more money

[@bobcaygeon975]

A insurance agent in NY State charged my 90 yr old relative $170/mo. for a fire insurance policy on a commercial building. They pulled the scam for 5 years.

[@danielletoscano4509]

Hm. Generally it’s information from the DMV- if the address is on the license, the company I work for will send a letter asking the insured to contact them regarding it and they have 30 to 60 days to contact the company to confirm or deny, and if they do not contact the company the driver is then added

[@MH-rq6jy]

Not surprised that it’s Progressive. They dropped us as soon as we told them we would not list any other adults living in the house, both elderly and both non drivers.

[@bigbadbubba099]

If someone who isn't insured they should deny the claim ....why go thru all this.The uninsured driver should be ticketed with a big fine and the car owner does the repairs at his own cost. That would stop all that immediately.

[@benwagner5089]

So if you live with roommates, do you have to tell the insurance company who they are, what cars they drive, what insurance coverage they already have? And even if it were relatives like the grandparents moving in with one of their adult kids, presumably they'd still have their own car and be paying their own insurance. Sounds like the insurance company is double-charging for the same insurance coverage, and it's possible the grandparent's account could be double-charging them as well. Meanwhile, the people being double-charged wouldn't be able to get both companies to cover the damage if they get into an accident, they'd be threatened with a fraud lawsuit. The only party that's benefitting from any of this are the companies, just raking in the money, billions of it.

[@atsuini]

Same was done to me back in Indiana when Young America added a strange to my insurance.

[@wanderlustandsparkle4395]

The name is most likely a scam. An insurance company employee or call center employee probably added a family member to someone's insurance so they wouldn't have to pay and hoping said driver wouldn't notice.

[@roamiblu1833]

Travelers Insurance tried to do this with me. I was renting a room and the person had her GROWN children living in the house who were on HER insurance. The guy kept asking me for their date of birth. I told him I didn't know their date of birth, plus they weren't going to be on my insurance. This kept on for about 5 mins. I told him to go to blazes and hung up. First, the CEO of health insurance. Next, it's going to be these underwriters for car insurance.

[@annalouisehorn]

I just found out my car insurance agency had me paying extra for two years for a spouse that I don’t have.

[@KimberlyLetsGo]

I hope they find that other person and charge them with insurance fraud if they are the one that initiated this.

[@phillipmarlowe0525]

He did not need to talk to the underwriters to add the other drive. So why he has to talk to them to remove him.???

[@JeffC-fq1be]

Well, it IS called "Progressive," so you can expect bad stuff like this. But seriously, it's wrong that this guy had such a hard time getting this fixed.

[@TheSilverSphincter69]

oregon has been trying every year to put random people on my lisence and charge me way more money than i am supposed too..i have to call them every year to get it fixed and every single time i have to tell them if anyone else is driving my car id personally change my policy to be correct..they said its out of their hands because a third party says its so

[@FF_AlohaEdition]

I was about to renew my insurance later but if I have to contest an unknown person it would prob take month to resolve while which I have to pay the total premium to prevent coverage lapse.

[@212days]

Just pay for her insurance and stop complaining.

[@RobertMesa-fu9oy]

Who we kidding people with good driving records are being ripped off by insurance companies

[@t23001]

Those commercial identity databases are riddled with inaccuracies.

[@RoadWarden]

Sounds like a potential lawsuit to me.

[@eukaryon]

The family will be charged 365 days of premiums for the 7 days their kid is home from college. That's how they inflate "lost" dollars.

[@MrBrownnn696]

Their needs to be a upgrade on the system… I’m checking my policy

[@badgercdlyons]

Lawyer up, make them pay up. A good lawyer will always make a client more money than they cost. Make LexisNexis or Progressive pay him for their actions.

[@pwu8194]

I would just sue them for deceptive trade practices and put the burden on them.

[@natashag2454]

I can’t wait until self driving cars are authorized, because I will definitely not have a car anymore or pay car insurance anymore. I see the insurance companies are trying to get all the money they can before it happens. Sad

[@ghostwriter720]

they would deny any claim for an accident for any driver not on the policy anyways, so this is a money grab. they are acting like they are obligated to cover all accidents regardless of who is driving and they are not. this is clearly fraud on the insurance companies end because policies clearly state what is covered and who is covered on the policy.

[@jamster1100]

Insurance companies have way to much power

[@Whoddathunk]

Why is it his job to prove the mistake?

[@wwlee5]

Plot twist: Ed Fan had Lawaiia hidden in his closet when the news media came to visit.

[@johnjr757]

And I thought it was ridiculous I have to add my wife to my auto policy. She's licensed for ID, but is disabled and hasn't been able to drive since 2008. Insurance companies said she is still a licensed driver and has access to the vehicle.

[@ronbennett7885]

Exclude her. If you've tried that to no avail, then have her driver's license switched to state ID only. Will still work the same for everything else. Not required for exclusion, but greatly simplifies matters, and further removes any doubt in the event of a claim.

[@johnjr757]

@ronbennett7885 It's not an issue. Not like she has a bad driving record to increase my premium. It's just dumb.

[@Sam-vn6hd]

Progressive added people to mine to and I called them on it . Turns out they lived at my house 5 years before I moved in and I have be here 2 year's. It's Totally bs to have to prove that you don't know them.

[@applejones212]

Again add another responsibility for the consumer to manage. And American citizens sit back and just take it

[@LowGearHiker]

BS. If a driver gets into an accident using your car and they aren't under your policy, the insurance company will not cover them. This about insurance companies trying to steal money for thier customers under false pretences.

[@DarthJermz]

simple solution, cancel the policy and find another.

[@turboredcart]

easy fix- the hidden driver, shall pay the policy. Her only