can police tell if your insurance is fake...........................?

Question

i have this crazy friend who doesnt have insurance anymore and is thinking about making a fake insurance card but just putting new dates over the old ones and photocopying it. he says he wont get caught but im pretty sure that police have like a database or something and can tell, so am i right?

Answer 1

The police may or may not check the authenticity of your insurance if you get pulled over, but if he so much gets an inkling you are hiding something or you appear untrustworthy, he'll run all sorts of background checks on you and may eventually find out that your insurance isn't valid at all.

But just in case your friend gets caught, and the police slaps him with driving without insurance, he'll go to jail too for fraud. Too much at stake, isn't it?

Answer 2

Oh, yeah, the cops will see that. Still, they know that most of the cards they see are not, or not anly longer, worth the paper they were printed on. Far, far too many people will pay the minimum payment amount to get the coverage started, and a nice little card to put in the car, then not make any more payments. Some state, unfortunately not enough of them, will get insurance companies to tell them when coverages lapse, so the little flag on the driver info when the cop calls for someone to look up a license will cause the police to ask for still more proof of insurance. Depending on how they want to press the issue, and if your friend gets the officer really ticked off, he might, your friend could be accused of making false representations to a police officer--he could be seeing the inside of a jail over that. But your friend likes to take risks anyway, just like driving without insurance. In some states a lack of valid insurance coverage will shift the blame to the uninsured party whether that person was intrinsicly at fault or not. If the friend gets into a legal problem over it, just smugly smile and say "Told 'ya".

Answer 3

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Answer 4

Yes. In every state I've heard about, the insurance information is actually uploaded to the DMV. So when your insurance policy gets cancelled, the insurance company (usually within three business days) uploads to the DMV database, the fact that your policy has been cancelled.

It works the other way around, too - they ALSO upload when your insurance renews or when you take out a new policy. Companies usually do uploads 3-4 times a weeks. Most of the time, you have 30 days to replace it OR YOUR PLATES GET REVOKED BY THE STATE. Now, the state can take up to 6 months to send you the letter saying your plates are revoked, however, the cop finds out the second he runs your plate.

So, if your friend gets pulled over without insurance, their car can be confiscated ON THE SPOT. More likely, they'll get the little orange sticker, and be told to leave the car there, so a wrecker can pick it up and bring it to the local impound lot.

You're right.

Answer 5

No, actually they don't have a database. HOWEVER, the DMV (or Secretary of State in some states) gets a report from insurance companies DAILEY of people's insurance that has lapsed. Then they'll send you out a letter stating you have to provide proof of NEW insurance within 30 or 60 days or they'll suspend your plates until you do. Also, insurance fraud happens to be a felony in every state in the union. Not a good idea. It will cost him/her more money than the policy.

Here's an article that discusses some of the social problems this causes: http://cbs4denver.com/topstories/local_story_139113714.html

Slainte,


-D

Answer 6

They probably can't tell right from the card, but they will see when they try to run your license plate and it comes up as no insurance which is standard in all traffic stops and most accidents.
Having no insurance is a misdemenor offense, usually punishable by a license suspension and a fine.

Insurance fraud is a much more serious crime and insurance companies push the courts to levy very serious sentences because insurance fraud is such a problem. After that, he would have a conviction on his record, so good luck to him on job applications and ever getting insurance again. And yes, what your "crazy friend" proposes is insurance fraud.

Answer 7

Umm...YES! The risk of getting caught is so easy and so high that he would have to be crazy to do this.

I mean, of course you could TRY, but why would you bother? Has he considered what would happen if he got into an accident and really needed the insurance coverage? He'd be in a double legal and financial bind.

The idea is sort of funny, but the consequences are not.

Look around for the lowest cost insurance and get it. Or buy a bus pass.

Answer 8

No database for police, in Oregon anyway. We get calls RARELY from police to verify coverage. Any DMV database would be outdated and unreliable. Some reports I have heard state that almost 40% of drivers are uninsured. We don't get insurance to avoid tickets! We get insurance to pay claims in accidents.

Answer 9

Yes, the police can run a DMV check and learn that the insurance is not valid.It is not worth the risk and arrest and impoundment of the vehicle.And falsifying documents has a fine, I am sure.
Tell your friend to get the minimum insurance allowed by your state and the bank if there is a loan.Pay up like the rest of us!!

Answer 10

Depends on the state - they all differ.

Regardless it takes some real balls to give fake insurance to a cop.

I hope he does it and you guys live in a no pay, no play state or he gets hit by an uninsured motorist. He won't be laughing about his fake insurance cards then. He needs to grow up and get insurance. I wish him the worst of luck!