Four Individuals Charged in Travel Insurance Scheme Worth Over $250K in New Jersey

According to Insurance Journal, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin, the Division of Criminal Justice, and the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor, four individuals by the names of Agustin Matos of North Haledon, NJ, Kenia Ivonne Vasquez of Bronx, NY, Keyra Carla Liriano of Fort Lee, NJ, and Patricio Arturo Alfonso of Fort Lee, NJ, have officially been indicted for their alleged roles in a fraudulent travel insurance scheme worth over $250,000.

Here are the details of the case:

“The case began when OIFP received a referral from the American International Group Inc. (AIG). From April 2022 to August 2023, in Bergen, Hudson and Passaic counties, New York, and elsewhere, the defendants allegedly opened several travel insurance policies with multiple insurance companies, covering the same trip to the same foreign destination. When applying for these policies, they allegedly used false identities and provided credit card information that tied them together.

The defendants allegedly would then file claims with each carrier, falsely asserting they had been hospitalized abroad and had incurred thousands of dollars in medical expenses, which were covered under the travel insurance policies. They allegedly submitted identical information to multiple carriers, while certifying they had no other insurance covering the medical expenses or the trip.

Officials said that most of the insurance companies denied the fraudulent claims. However, Liriano is charged with obtaining $14,835 in claim payments from two carriers. Together, the four defendants allegedly attempted to defraud the insurance companies of approximately $252,852 as follows: Matos – $19,986; Vasquez – $27,812; Liriano – $37,226; and Alfonso – $167,829.”

Matos, Vasquez, Liriano, and Arturo Alfonso have all been charged with conspiracy, insurance fraud, impersonation/theft of identity, attempted theft by deception, and falsifying/tampering with records. Liriano has an additional charge of theft by deception. And as always, defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

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