No. 1 “Burning Up Debt”
The insured made a claim with MPI, reporting that his new travel trailer had been stolen out of a storage yard located within a community in rural Manitoba. That same morning, the travel trailer was found 10-kilometres outside of town ─ burned to the ground and still smoldering on a gravel road.
MPI’s SIU investigator immediately went to the burn site where he took photos and began determining the likely route taken by the thief. While travelling back to his office, the investigator noticed a building which had a surveillance camera pointing towards the highway. The surveillance footage showed the trailer being towed around midnight by a pickup truck, which closely resembled the same year and model of the trailer’s owner.
The investigation also revealed the trailer’s owner was experiencing financial issues. During the interview with the SIU investigator, the insured denied having any involvement with the theft. However, he was not willing to allow MPI access to his truck so the investigator could download data from it which would help to determine where the vehicle was on the night of the theft.
A few days after that interview the insured contacted MPI and withdrew his claim, signing a waiver of release. Estimated claims savings to MPI was $37,000.
