The Canadian Coalition Against Insurance Fraud has released its annual list of Top Ten Insurance Frauds, featuring some of the most offbeat and oddball insurance schemes.

Insurance fraud costs Canadian policyholders $1.3 billion every year. To the average Canadian, this means at least 10% of their insurance premiums go to cover the cost of fraud.

“When somebody submits a false or exaggerated insurance claim, all of our costs go up,” says Nancy Tibbo, Director of the CCAIF. “Our purpose in compiling this list is to continue raising public awareness about the seriousness of insurance fraud, no matter how innocent it may appear.”

Included on the list is “Bilingual and Bogus”. The owner of a beautiful piece of sculpture was heartbroken when it was stolen from her home during a break-in. But after she wiped away the tears she saw an opportunity. The woman decided to file two claims for theft of the same sculpture. In one she described the sculpture in English. In the second claim she described the sculpture in French. The double dipping was spotted by the insurance company’s claims handler — who was bilingual.

The Canadian Coalition Against Insurance Fraud was founded in 1994 to develop, foster and implement solutions to prevent and detect insurance fraud.