Aviva Canada commends the Sûreté du Québec for investigating an alleged arson claim and laying charges against the accused, Daniel Vallières.
- Aviva Canada policyholder charged with setting fire to his house with intent to defraud
Aviva Canada commends the Sûreté du Québec for investigating an alleged arson claim and laying charges against the accused, Daniel Vallières.
On December 18, 2014, Vallières was charged with Arson – Disregard For Human Life, Arson - Own Property, and Arson For Fraudulent Purpose. Already in custody on an unrelated matter, Vallières is scheduled to appear in a Trois-Rivières court on February 20, 2015 in relation to the arson charges.
Vallières claimed that on the night of January 23, 2014, two unknown suspects set fire to his house in Bécancour, Quebec. Discovering the fire, he alerted his wife and children, who fled the home. Fortunately, nobody was injured. The fire completely destroyed the house despite the efforts of 25 firefighters who battled the flames. Fire causal experts concluded the cause of the fire was arson.
Subsequently, Vallières made a claim for the loss of his home. Aviva Canada investigates all property claims where the cause of the loss has been determined to be arson. Close collaboration and exchange of information during the investigations conducted by Aviva Canada and the Sûreté du Québec led to the decision by police to lay criminal charges.
“The police investigation revealed that the man [Vallières] intended to defraud his insurance company," said the spokesperson for the Sûreté du Québec, Sergeant Hugo Fournier.
“The blatant disregard for the safety of the public and firefighters is unconscionable,” said Irene Bianchi, Executive Vice President of Claims at Aviva Canada. “Sadly, we see these types of arson-for-profit schemes too often. Appropriate punishment for perpetrators is one of the strongest deterrents in preventing repeat occurrences.”
“We have zero tolerance for anyone who is found to be committing fraud,” continued Bianchi. “Aviva will always work with public authorities and pursue charges in any instance where we uncover potential criminal activity. This is part of our commitment to curb insurance fraud to protect the policy premiums of our customers.”
Aviva Canada has stepped up its tough approach to tackling fraud with more dedicated resources and an investment in technology that aims to identify fraud. With an industry-leading anti-fraud team in place, in addition to solid public sector and industry collaboration, Aviva is well-positioned to combat fraud. The impact of insurance fraud in Canada is estimated at over $1.6 billion dollars annually.
Help protect affordable insurance premiums for all Canadians by reporting potential fraud to Aviva Canada’s Fraud Information Centre — open 24/7. Email anti-fraud_management@avivacanada.com or call the Aviva hotline at 1 855 332 5255.
About Aviva Canada
Aviva Canada is one of the leading property and casualty insurance groups in Canada providing home, auto and business insurance to more than three million customers. The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of UK-based Aviva plc and has more than 3,000 employees, 25 locations and 1,700 independent broker partners.
Aviva Canada invests in positive change through the Aviva Community Fund, Canada’s longest running online community funding competition. Since its inception in 2009, the Aviva Community Fund has awarded $5.5 million to over 100 communities nationwide.
For more information about Aviva Canada, visit AvivaCanada.com, our blog or our Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn pages.
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Media Contact:
Alison Steele
Manager, B2B Communications, Aviva Canada
Desk: 416 730 3931 Mobile: 647 269 0122
alison_steele@avivacanada.com