OFF BEAT: Scamming funeral director buried in legal trouble

According to the proverb, there is nothing certain in life except for death and taxes.

But an insurance fraudster in South Australia who attempted to exploit one of these certainties by faking the deaths of his clients recently was caught out and is now urging other business owners to learn from his mistakes.

Funeral director Robin George Knight admitted to making 199 false claims to insurers to access prepaid funeral bonds that only pay out in the event of the client’s death.

He was rumbled, however, when one of the insurers contacted one woman about her deceased mother only to discover that she was very much alive.

In the Holden Hill Magistrates court in Adelaide, Mr. Knight admitted amending old medical certificates to make it appear that his clients had died and to faking the signature of his business partner, the Adelaide Advertiser reported.

Mr. Knight admitted to 22 counts of deception and one count of attempting deception and was granted bail pending a further court appearance in March.

Mr. Knight, who said he had committed the fraud to keep his business afloat, told media outside the courtroom that business owners should swallow their pride and admit when things are not going well rather than resort to drastic action like he did.