Photo metadata helps nab car insurance fraudster

When you wish your Dodge Durango was the time-travelling DeLorean.

A woman in Williamsburg, Pennsylvania, is facing felony insurance fraud charges stemming from a dodgy $2,000 car-insurance claim, the Altoona Mirror reported Thursday.

Lynn A. Hughes filed her claim in January after she crashed her 2011 Dodge Durango on Jan. 17, five days after her insurance lapsed, the Altoona Mirror reported. 

She reinstated her car insurance one day after the crash, on Jan. 18, and went on to report a claim for an accident that happened “on Jan. 22,” providing photos as part of her claim, according to the newspaper. 

Meanwhile, metadata contained on the files of cellphone photos showed investigators the true date and time of the accident to be Jan. 17, not on Jan. 22, the newspaper reported. 

When questioned about the discrepancies in the claim, Ms. Hughes allegedly admitted her insurance was expired on the date of the accident and that she did take pictures of the damage on that date.