Editor's Note: This article has been updated to reflect a change in the legal status of this case. According to court documentation provided to Hoodline, the charges referenced in this article were expunged by court order. The North Carolina Department of Insurance press release that served as the primary source for this article has since been removed from the NCDOI website.
A Wake County woman faced charges of trying to scam a travel insurance company out of $1,000. Shweta Surana, a resident of Cary, was arrested under allegations of insurance fraud and attempting to obtain property by pretense, with both counts standing as felonies.
Details from her arrest warrant revealed an attempt to obtain funds from Amex Assurance Co. through the submission of a counterfeit letter. Surana allegedly fabricated evidence that her husband was unfit to travel due to a foot injury; the letter, falsely dated Sept. 11, supposedly affirmed this. However, according to the North Carolina Department of Insurance, it was issued back on May 23, 2022, by an orthopedic doctor who had since left North Carolina, practicing in New Jersey for the prior two years.
Surana was arrested by deputies from Wake County and subsequently released on a $3,000 unsecured bond. She appeared at Wake County District Court the following day. According to the North Carolina Department of Insurance, Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey has spoken out against such forms of fraud, noting that, "Insurance fraud is not a victimless crime," and that it affects all policyholders through higher premiums.
To combat fraudulent activities, Commissioner Causey has urged the public to report any suspicions of insurance fraud. Anonymous tips can be submitted to the N.C. Department of Insurance Criminal Investigations Division by phone at 919-807-6840 or toll-free within North Carolina at 888-680-7684.
