Cumru man upgrades policy after car fire, police say
A Cumru Township man has been charged with making a false report to his insurance company in an attempt to get payment for damage to his car from an electrical fire.
Brett E. Dixon, 35, was charged with insurance fraud following an investigation by the state attorney general’s office insurance fraud section. He waived a preliminary hearing Feb. 24 before District Judge David L. Yoch and remains in Berks County Prison in lieu of $5,000 bail awaiting formal arraignment in county court.
According to the criminal complaint:
On April 8, 2019, Dixon filed an online claim with Geico indicating his 2000 BMW 540 sustained water damage. He stated that the car was parked in his driveway outside his home in the 700 block of Maplewood Avenue around midday on April 6 when he heard the car alarm going off. He rushed outside and found the car filled with smoke.
His claim was that he opened the passenger door and found an electric fire around the glove box. He extinguished the flames with a garden hose while his girlfriend called 9-1-1. The township police and fire departments responded.
Geico claims representatives reviewed his policy and found that Dixon had removed his comprehensive coverage on March 5, 2019. On April 6, the day of the vehicle fire, he restored comprehensive to his policy at 11:02 a.m.
A Geico investigator called Dixon the day of his claim. In the recorded phone interview, Dixon indicated his car caught on fire around noon on April 6.
Police department records show the call for the vehicle fire came in at 10:35 a.m., almost a half-hour before he upgraded his insurance.
On April 9, Geico mailed Dixon a letter informing him that his claim was denied. The matter was turned over to the police department, which referred it to the attorney general’s office for further investigation.
On Dec. 6, a special agent interviewed Dixon, who initially denied that he called Geico to upgrade his policy the day of the fire. He later admitted that he called Geico just after the fire and added comprehensive coverage and provided a false time of the fire on his claim.