Have you ever purchased fake insurance?

[HarryB1964]

In the last six years, did you ever purchase a travel insurance policy through your Travel Agent from companies named Trip Assured, Vacation Protection Services, or Prime Travel Protection? If you did, you were purchasing a fake, illegal product. These companies have now been closed, due to actions by various states and government agencies. In their short, sordid existences, these companies accumulated an abysmal record of rejecting entirely valid claims.

The companies only sold through travel agencies. You could not buy the product from Insuremytrip, Squaremouth, or TripInsurancestore, so this note is not directed at people who purchased legitimate insurance.

Hundreds of travel agencies nationwide sold this fake insurance, and it's possible that some of them were defrauded by the fake insurance companies, but an alarming number of large travel agencies sold the fake products from ALL of the companies mentioned, to the exclusion of selling a legitimate product. Some of the travel agencies even gave the fake insurance away for free, which indicates what it was worth. If you purchased the product, and have proof of the purchase, call your travel agent and ask him to refund what you paid. If you purchased the insurance from a Florida-based travel agency, and your insurance claim was denied, file a complaint with the Florida Department of Financial Services and the Better Business Bureau. Be sure to specify who you purchased the fake insurance from.

[HarryB1964]

If I remember correctly, there was another fake insurance company named Traveler Protection Services that was involved in this scam. Actually, this company, Prime Travel Protection, and Vacation Protection Services were all owned by Jerry Watson, who also once worked for Trip Assured. Jerry kept changing company names and physical locations until multiple State Cease and Desist orders caught up with him in early 2009, after which Jerry declared bankruptcy, pledged to pay all valid claims, and promptly disappeared.

If you're interested in whether your travel agent might be involved, do a Google search for travel agencies who have been issued Cease and Desist orders.

[fideauxdon]

Unfortunately, I did purchase fake insurance from Trip Assured back in 2003, when this scam was first starting up. It wasn't a pleasant experience, and State authorities in Florida weren't much help, despite that they had laws which were supposed to protect consumers who purchased this type of product. I learned from my experience that it's far better to do your homework before you buy, than try to collect from a dishonest fake insurance company or travel agent after you submit a claim.

[BroncosFan2010]

This will be our first time buying insurance for a vacation, and we are doing TONS of research to ensure that we are getting legitimate insurance. We are using insure my trip, so hopefully, everything will be real. Hopefully, we will never have to use it.