Sacramento man charged with fraud for scheme involving lost cell phone claims
News: 2021 Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Thein Kevin Nguyen, 31, of Sacramento, has been charged with one felony count of fraud for allegedly running a scam where he filed 35 fraudulent cell phone loss claims, collected the proceeds from the claims, and then sold the cell phones he claimed as lost, profiting from both the insurance proceeds and sales.
Over a three-year period, Nguyen filed 35 claims for supposed lost cell phones. All of the claims submitted by Nguyen involved very similar backstories such as the phones were either lost while fishing or camping.
As part of the investigation, detectives with the California Department of Insurance interviewed Nguyen who admitted to filing 35 fraudulent cell phone loss claims. Nguyen stated that only three of the cell phone loss claims during this timeframe were legitimate claims and that he received approximately 25 replacement Samsung cell phones as a result of his fraudulent actions.
Nguyen admitted to detectives that he sold each phone on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist, making more than $7,000 profit from selling the cell phones. In total, Nguyen attained approximately $24,000 worth of replacement cell phones over the course of three years.
This case is being prosecuted by the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office.
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Led by Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, the California Department of Insurance is the consumer protection agency for the nation's largest insurance marketplace and safeguards all of the state’s consumers by fairly regulating the insurance industry. Under the Commissioner’s direction, the Department uses its authority to protect Californians from insurance rates that are excessive, inadequate, or unfairly discriminatory, oversee insurer solvency to pay claims, set standards for agents and broker licensing, perform market conduct reviews of insurance companies, resolve consumer complaints, and investigate and prosecute insurance fraud. Consumers are urged to call 1-800-927-4357 with any questions or contact us at www.insurance.ca.gov via webform or online chat. Non-media inquiries should be directed to the Consumer Hotline at 800-927-4357. Teletypewriter (TTY), please dial 800-482-4833.
