Insurance fraud and Valentine’s Day bitterness

Nothing says I don’t love you anymore than a call to an insurance fraud tipline reporting an ex of wrongdoing.

So says Winnepeg, Canada-based Manitoba Public Insurance Corp. in a statement Tuesday regarding the uptick of insurance fraud allegations on its TIPS line in the month of hearts and roses.

“Last year, February was the busiest month for tip calls,” said Curtis Wennberg, the company’s chief operating officer. “While all calls to the TIPS Line are anonymous, some callers will admit to being an ex-spouse or ex-partner of a person allegedly defrauding the corporation.”

“We can only speculate that emotions of past romantic relationships are triggered by increased talk about Valentine’s Day,” he said in the statement. “Regardless of the reason, MPI is very appreciative of their help.”

Between 2015 and 2019, on average, there has been an increase of calls placed to the TIPS Line during February. Overall, February 2019 was a record year for tips to the line with a total of 594 compared with 439 in 2018, the company reported.