PA Woman Charged After Filing Fraudulent Wind Claim on Barn Demoed by Popular TV Show

We often wonder why people brazenly file fraudulent insurance claims, when it is easily refutable, especially when it’s featured on a popular reality TV show.

According to Insurance Journal, 63-year-old Tracey Jeffreys of Milton, Pennsylvania, “had contracted with the Discovery Channel for use in the ‘Barnwood Builders’ show. The plan was to dismantle the barn and rebuild it for the show. But after a Barnwood representative determined in 2022 that part of the wood was infested with powder post beetles, the show decided to use only some sections of the barn for parts, according to Pennsylvania news reports. The show paid Jeffreys $20,000 for the lumber.”

Not long after, Jeffreys filed a fraudulent wind claim totaling $100,000 with Donegal Mutual Insurance, stating that wind knocked down part of the barn. However, an on-site adjuster was unable to determine the cause of the “damage.”

Insurance Journal writes, “Investigators checked National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration records and found that windspeeds on the day of the claimed damage were only about 7 mph on average. They also heard from the TV show about the dismantling, and from neighbors who witnessed the demolition work.”

Jeffreys attempted to backtrack and withdraw her claim, indicating to authorities that she had “forgotten to tell the demo crew not to take the wind-damaged section.”

Jeffreys has been released on bail after being charged by the Pennsylvania State Attorney General’s Office.

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