KUCHING, Dec 4: Special assistant to DAP chairman Chong Chieng Jen, Julian Tan, reminded the public to be cautious when dealing with insurance agents to avoid being cheated.
Julian in a press statement today, said they received another case involving insurance agent fraud where the victim was scammed for almost RM100,000 in premium payments, and the insurance policies were issued under her name without her consent, via the agent’s fabricated documents.
According to him, Insurance fraud is a growing concern in Malaysia, and the reported case is not the first case we come across in Kuching involving insurance agents misappropriated insurance premiums, where such an irresponsible act from rogue insurance agents give the industry a bad name and causes distrust.
“In the case of fraud by the insurance agents, customers suddenly find out that they had no insurance in effect even though they have been serving their premiums. We view such a case seriously and help all we can to escalate the matter to the relevant authorities and the insurance company involved,” he said.
Julian also advised the public to not pay cash to their agents at all cost, given the growing concern of rampant misappropriation of premiums by insurance agents.
Julian pointed out that the public can always pay their premium online to the insurance company directly or pay over the counter at its service center.
Apart from that, he said, insurance clients can also opt for an auto deduction on their credit card or debit card and should always call up the insurance company to check the status of their insurance.
“To ensure payment was made promptly, should they still rely on their agent to make such payment. The rule of thumb is, they can and have the right to call up the insurance company directly without going through the agents.
“Should their agents advise them otherwise, they should take it as an alarm that something is amiss. If their agent is committing fraud, they should immediately report it to the company for advice.
“They should not make any personal settlement with the rogue agent as the agent may again take advantage of them due to their lack of knowledge in the industry,” added Julian. –DayakDaily.
