Online auto insurance has become more and more popular among Italians, this is because the benefits are many: assistance is available 24 hours a day, you can check your insurance through convenient smartphone apps and they also save a few euros.
However, precisely because of their growing notoriety there are many criminal organizations that from some have they are using the situation to their advantageby offering fake insurance online. Scammers use simple but very effective methods that are very easy to run into.
Many internet sites that promise low-priced insurance with the intent to scam you, exploit the assonances and invent names very similar to those of the most famous insurance companies, individual local agencies or insurance brokers. In addition to search engines, scammers are increasingly using platforms such as Whatsapp and Facebook.
How to protect yourself from online fakes?
First of all it is necessary pay close attention to the names advertised; use only well-known and recognized sites, both for the direct purchase of an insurance policy and for the comparison of insurance prices on the online market.
Don’t be rushed and take your time check the veracity of a site several times before proceeding with payments. The same attention should be paid to offers received on Whatsapp or Facebook, especially if short-term insurance is offered. Make sure that the quotes and / or contracts proposed to you are traceable to honest intermediaries or companies, duly authorized.
A valuable resource for avoiding auto insurance scams is that of refer to the Ivass website, the institute for the supervision of insurance. There is a list of notices relating to infringement caseswhich contains the full names of unauthorized companies and irregular websites.
To be sure of the validity of social profiles or websites, you have to make sure that these data are correctly reported on these pages:
- Address of the office as well as the telephone number, fax and pec address or certified mail, intermediary identification data
- Number and date of registration in the Single Register of insurance and reinsurance intermediaries
- Indication that the intermediary is subject to IVASS controls
Sites or profiles not in line with these indications expose the consumer to the risk of counterfeit policies. Furthermore, with regard to intermediaries EEA or EEA economic area, in addition to the data indicated above, they must also communicate the registration number of the Member State of origin, the indication of the State Supervisory Authority Origin member and finally indication of any secondary office and the declaration that you are authorized to operate in Italy.
Here is a list of sites insurance reported as irregular in March 2022. The policies purchased on these sites are fake and, consequently, the vehicles are not insured.
• assicurazioni-fast.com
• www.iseassicurazionisrl.it
• www.primassicura.it
• www.rinnovarisparmiando.com
• www.santonastasebroker.it
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