403. Prohibitions. (a) In this article, "fraudulent insurance act" means insurance fraud as defined in section 176.05 of the penal law; and the terms "personal insurance" and "commercial insurance" shall have the same meaning ascribed to them by section 176.00 of such law.
(b) For the purpose of section one hundred nine of this chapter, it is a violation of this chapter for any individual, firm, association or corporation subject to the provisions of this chapter to commit a fraudulent insurance act or a fraudulent life settlement act.
(c) In addition to any criminal liability arising under the provisions of this section, the superintendent shall be empowered to levy a civil penalty not exceeding five thousand dollars and the amount of the claim for each violation upon any person, including those persons and their employees licensed pursuant to this chapter, who is found to have: (i) committed a fraudulent insurance act, fraudulent life settlement act or otherwise violates the provisions of this section; or (ii) knowingly and with intent to defraud files, makes, or assists, solicits or conspires with another to file or make an application for a premium reduction, pursuant to subsection (a) of section two thousand three hundred thirty-six of this chapter, containing any materially false information or which, for the purpose of misleading, conceals information concerning any fact material thereto.
(d) All applications for commercial insurance, individual, group or blanket accident and health insurance and all claim forms, except as provided for in subsection (e) of this section, shall contain a notice in a form approved by the superintendent that clearly states in substance the following:
"Any person who knowingly and with intent to defraud any insurance company or other person files an application for insurance or statement of claim containing any materially false information, or conceals for the purpose of misleading, information concerning any fact material thereto, commits a fraudulent insurance act, which is a crime, and shall also be subject to a civil penalty not to exceed five thousand dollars and the stated value of the claim for each such violation."
(e) All applications for automobile insurance and all claim forms shall contain a notice, in a form approved by the superintendent, that clearly states in substance the following:
"Any person who knowingly makes or knowingly assists, abets, solicits or conspires with another to make a false report of the theft, destruction, damage or conversion of any motor vehicle to a law enforcement agency, the department of motor vehicles or an insurance company, commits a fraudulent insurance act, which is a crime, and shall also be subject to a civil penalty not to exceed five thousand dollars and the value of the subject motor vehicle or stated claim for each violation."
(f) In this article, "fraudulent life settlement act" means a fraud as defined in section 176.40 of the penal law.
Last modified: February 3, 2019