Palm Beach County scammers filed $50,000 in fraudulent insurance claims

By JEFF OSTROWSKI

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

TALLAHASSEE — Three alleged scammers trolled Palm Beach County parking lots in search of elderly motorists, convinced them they needed auto body work, then assumed the victims' identities and filed fraudulent insurance claims totaling $50,000, Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink said Wednesday.

Arrested were Corey Blue Petro, 22, of West Palm Beach; his father, Rickie S. Petro, 42, of Lake Worth; and Eda Siganoff, 43, of Greenacres. They're charged with racketeering, grand theft, fraudulent use of personal identification information and insurance fraud.

The trio cruised supermarket parking lots in search of motorists over 65 with minor damage to their cars. After finding their marks, the alleged scammers would perform body work on the spot or at victims' homes, state officials said.

The Petros and Siganoff would collect $300 to $400 for the work - and obtain personal information about the victims in the process.

They'd later claim to have been in car accidents with the victims and file claims using phony phone numbers for the victims. When the insurers called about the phony accidents, the scammers would disguise their voices and pretend to be the elderly motorists, state officials said.

One insurance adjuster became suspicious after noticing one of the Petros had two accidents within a couple of weeks.

Acting on tips from Nationwide Insurance Co. and the National Insurance Crime Bureau, the Florida Department of Financial Services' Division of Insurance Fraud investigated. It found 26 fraudulent car crashes involving the suspects in Palm Beach County.

The victims were between the ages of 65 and 96.