To: Travelers Agents and Brokers
From: Ken Jones, vice president, Travelers Investigative Services
Travelers works very hard to fight insurance fraud. We feel that every
dollar we can keep out of the hands of criminals will benefit our customers, our business partners, and ultimately, the entire U.S. economy. That’s why we wanted to make you aware of a scam involving bogus checks with our name and what appears to be a Travelers claim number.
Here are the details: To date, about 250 people have received a letter
purporting to be from “Indemnity Financial – A Subsidiary of Travelers
Indemnity Company” and containing a counterfeit Travelers Insurance Company check. The letter informs the victim they have won either a “North American Prize Pool” valued at $250,000 or a $65,000 Readers Digest / Publishers Clearing House Online Sweepstakes. The letter also references a “claim number” which is not a valid Travelers claim number. The letter instructs recipients to call a phone number, where they are advised to deposit the check to their bank account and wire the funds to an individual in Canada. We have also learned that other insurance companies’ names have been used in the same scam.
If one of your customers contacts you regarding an unexpected check from “Travelers Indemnity Company” accompanied by a request similar to this one, please advise them not to deposit the check. They should contact their local law enforcement authority instead.
By being alert to this scam, you may be able to help others avoid being
victimized by criminals who are using Travelers’ name to prey on the public.
Ken Jones
September 2008
