Toronto police report that charges have been filed in an alleged case of insurance fraud involving an unlicensed physician.
According to police, on March 26, Arun Reddy, 31, of Alberta, was arrested in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta on a Canada-wide warrant. He has been returned to Ontario to face a series of fraud charges, including: four counts of fraud over $5,000; seven counts of attempted fraud over $5,000; three counts of fraud under $5,000; and, attempted fraud under $5,000. The allegations have not been proven. He is scheduled to appear in court on April 9.
Police say that the warrant was issued in the wake of an investigation that they began in January, acting on information provided by the Insurance Bureau of Canada and Aviva Canada Inc. Police allege that Reddy, who owned and operated Lindsay Medical Laser Therapy in Lindsay, Ont., led the public and various insurance companies to believe he was a licensed physician when he is not licensed to practice medicine in Ontario.
“Stopping this type of fraudulent activity early is key,” said Greg Dunn, executive vice president, claims and customer service operations with Aviva Canada. “It means we prevent illegally-operated clinics not only from taking money from Canadians through the insurance product, but also from abusing the trust of everyone who relies on these healthcare providers for their recovery and to restore their lives.”
Aviva Canada says it has stepped up its tough approach to fraud with more dedicated resources and an investment in technology that aims to identify fraud and even anticipate the potential for fraud before it happens. “We are committed to working with the industry and authorities to reduce insurance fraud and its costs to everyone,” Dunn said.