Alarm blows
...Fake motor insurance on the increase
Richard Nkansah | Posted: Wednesday, September 28, 2005
The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the National Insurance Commission (NIC), Mr Kojo Ghunney, has advised vehicle owners to be on the look out for fake motor insurance stickers being peddled around as original ones by some agents.
Speaking in an interview with ADM, Mr Ghunney said the fake motor insurance stickers are sold alongside the genuine ones by some dubious NIC agents though accredited to unsuspecting customers.
He cited a case of one Mr Emmanuel Owusu, an accredited agent of Network Assurance Company Limited who was arrested in Tema together with his daughter, Agnes Owusu, for forging and selling fake motor insurance stickers. The PRO said Mr Owusu and his daughter are currently facing the full rigorous of the law in a Tema Circuit Court.
Information available to ADM shows that some boys known as "Gorro Boys" who often act as middlemen between the insurance companies and the public are at the forefront of championing these fake motor insurance stickers. ADM's information has it that, these 'Gorro Boys' mainly operate around the premises of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) in Accra.
Mr Ghunney said people who purchase and use fake motor insurance stickers would render the motor insurance policy invalid and make it impossible to make an insurance claim when an accident occurs. He said for an insurance company to accept the payment of a motor accident claim, they check the motor insurance sticker to find its authenticity, and if "the sticker is not a genuine one, no claim will be paid."
Mr Ghunney called on vehicle owners to watch out for the security features on the original motor insurance stickers, which the fake ones do not possess as part of the measures to stop the general public from getting victimised.
He said there are two security features to look out for to ensure the validity of an insurance sticker. "Each sticker has a shiny hologram in it that distinguishes it from the fake ones. The second security feature that people should not overlook is that the serial numbers on the motor insurance stickers are printed with a special ink that appears black on the front but 'bleeds' red at the back," he said.
Mr Ghunney cautioned the general public to be weary of people who parade as insurance agents and insist for their identity cards. He said when that is done customers could be assured of buying from the right source and flush out quacks from the system.
Mr Ghunney said the NIC is working together with the security agencies to clamp down on fake motor insurance sticker dealers. He appealed to members of the public to report any person or group of persons who they know or suspect are involved in fake motor insurance sticker business.
The Commanding Officer of the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit of the Ghana Police Service (MTTU), Chief Superintendent Victor Tandoh, is reported to have said that the recent operation by the MTTU to get rid of old vehicles on the roads would also involve checking of fake motor insurance stickers.
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