Bored Panda works better on our iPhone app
Continue in app Continue in browser

Add post form topAdd Post
Tooltip close

The Bored Panda iOS app is live! Fight boredom with iPhones and iPads here.

Insurance Scam Backfires After College Student Winds Up In Jail With No Legs
171

Insurance Scam Backfires After College Student Winds Up In Jail With No Legs

ADVERTISEMENT

When you take grifting to a whole other level: a college student in Taiwan currently faces charges for staging a frostbite incident to fraudulently claim insurance compensation exceeding $1.3 million.

A male college student, Chang, was charged with committing insurance fraud by falsely claiming that his legs were amputated due to frostbite from riding his scooter in cold weather around Taiwan, the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) reportedly revealed on Thursday (March 14).

Insurance fraud refers to any act committed with the intent to obtain fraudulent outcomes from an insurance process.

Chang allegedly immersed his feet in a bucket filled with dry ice for 10 hours, resulting in severe frostbite and necrosis below the knees, according to a CIB press release.

After having both legs amputated, he applied for compensation from eight insurance policies totaling NT$41.26 million (US$1.3 million), citing injuries sustained while riding his scooter at night around the country, Taiwan News reported.

Nevertheless, Chang’s compensation demands were quickly flagged before being finally denied as a result of the time between the insurance policies being purchased and the claims filed being too short.

RELATED:

    Chang, was charged with committing insurance fraud by falsely claiming that his legs were amputated due to accidental frostbites 

    Image credits: CIB

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Image credits: CIB

    Typically, insurance companies become suspicious when a client purchases insurance shortly before filing a claim, as it may indicate that the policy was obtained to make a fraudulent claim.

    Chang reportedly alleged that a fellow student, Liao, told him that gang members were after him, prompting him to fabricate an insurance claim.

    The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office did not believe Chang and Liao’s assertions and charged the duo, both in their twenties, with fraud and embezzlement.

    According to Investopedia, embezzlement refers to a form of white-collar crime in which a person or entity intentionally misappropriates the assets entrusted to them. In this type of fraud, the embezzler attains the assets lawfully and has the right to possess them, but the assets are then used for unintended purposes.

    Chang and Liao were originally high school classmates, Taiwan News reported. After entering university, they lost contact for a while but later reconnected.

    Chang, who is now disabled due to the incident, reportedly works in an administrative role at the school while Liao is still studying there.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    The indictment (a formal accusation or charge of a serious crime) states that on January 26, 2023, Chang and Liao rode scooters to purchase dry ice in New Taipei City’s Sanchong District.

    Later that night, they returned to Liao’s residence in Taipei City’s Zhongshan District, where he proceeded to restrain Chang to a chair using cable ties.

    Chang allegedly immersed his feet in a bucket filled with dry ice for 10 hours, resulting in severe frostbite and necrosis below the knees

    Image credits: Reddit

    Chang’s feet were subsequently plunged into a plastic bucket filled with dry ice. Chang endured the pain from 2 a.m. until 12:20 p.m. while Liao recorded and took photos of the incident, Taiwan News reported.

    On January 28, Chang was reportedly sent to the emergency department of Mackay Memorial Hospital in Taiwan’s capital city.

    After more than a week of treatment, both of his legs were reportedly amputated below the knees.

    Chang went on to obtain over NT$230,000 ($7,222.30) through insurance claims. However, other insurance policies were found to have been purchased shortly before the claims were made, with some just a few weeks apart.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    The insurance companies consequently refused to pay out and reported the case to the authorities.

    “I can’t imagine the pain,” a reader commented

    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT
    Share on Facebook
    Andréa Oldereide

    Andréa Oldereide

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

    Read more »

    I’m a journalist who works as Bored Panda’s News Team's Senior Writer. The news team produces stories focused on pop culture. Whenever I get the opportunity and the time, I investigate and produce my own exclusive stories, where I get to explore a wider range of topics. Some examples include: “Doberman Tobias the viral medical service dog” and “The lawyer who brought rare uterine cancer that affects 9/11 victims to light”. You've got a tip? email me: andrea.o@boredpanda.com

    Read less »
    Andréa Oldereide

    Andréa Oldereide

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

    I’m a journalist who works as Bored Panda’s News Team's Senior Writer. The news team produces stories focused on pop culture. Whenever I get the opportunity and the time, I investigate and produce my own exclusive stories, where I get to explore a wider range of topics. Some examples include: “Doberman Tobias the viral medical service dog” and “The lawyer who brought rare uterine cancer that affects 9/11 victims to light”. You've got a tip? email me: andrea.o@boredpanda.com

    Donata Leskauskaite

    Donata Leskauskaite

    Author, BoredPanda staff

    Read more »

    Hey there! I'm a Visual Editor in News team. My responsibility is to ensure that you can read the story not just through text, but also through photos. I get to work with a variety of topics ranging from celebrity drama to mind-blowing Nasa cosmic news. And let me tell you, that's what makes this job an absolute blast! Outside of work, you can find me sweating it out in dance classes or unleashing my creativity by drawing and creating digital paintings of different characters that lives in my head. I also love spending time outdoors and play board games with my friends.

    Read less »

    Donata Leskauskaite

    Donata Leskauskaite

    Author, BoredPanda staff

    Hey there! I'm a Visual Editor in News team. My responsibility is to ensure that you can read the story not just through text, but also through photos. I get to work with a variety of topics ranging from celebrity drama to mind-blowing Nasa cosmic news. And let me tell you, that's what makes this job an absolute blast! Outside of work, you can find me sweating it out in dance classes or unleashing my creativity by drawing and creating digital paintings of different characters that lives in my head. I also love spending time outdoors and play board games with my friends.

    What do you think ?
    Add photo comments
    POST
    Molly Whuppie
    Community Member
    9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    People are calling him lazy, and yes, it was for $$, but imo this would have to be a mental health issue. Think about what it would take to do that to yourself. The state of mind you would need to be in. I hope he is able to get some therapy.

    Jessica SpeLangm
    Community Member
    9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    While I'm not fond of my job and I'd rather not be working full time for the foreseeable future, if I pulled this idiotic stunt, I would be spending more money to update my house for wheelchairs and such than I would get in money. Just not worth it.

    Parmeisan
    Community Member
    8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    At only 20 years old, I can't imagine that he wouldn't have spent more than that money throughout his life compensating for the loss.

    Load More Replies...
    Load More Comments
    Molly Whuppie
    Community Member
    9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    People are calling him lazy, and yes, it was for $$, but imo this would have to be a mental health issue. Think about what it would take to do that to yourself. The state of mind you would need to be in. I hope he is able to get some therapy.

    Jessica SpeLangm
    Community Member
    9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    While I'm not fond of my job and I'd rather not be working full time for the foreseeable future, if I pulled this idiotic stunt, I would be spending more money to update my house for wheelchairs and such than I would get in money. Just not worth it.

    Parmeisan
    Community Member
    8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    At only 20 years old, I can't imagine that he wouldn't have spent more than that money throughout his life compensating for the loss.

    Load More Replies...
    Load More Comments
    You May Like
    Related on Bored Panda
    Related on Bored Panda
    Trending on Bored Panda
    Also on Bored Panda