Zee's POV
Zee had seen thousands of claims in his ten years at Mosaic Insurance. Most were routineâcar accidents, property damage, the occasional health claim that required a little extra scrutiny. But every now and then, something set his instincts off. And today, it was the file sitting on his desk.
He rolled his chair back, stretching his arms as he stared at the digital claim report on his screen. Case #217-09: Injury Compensation â Rear-End Collision. Straightforward at first glance. A policyholder, Mr. Thanapon Wichai, had filed a claim for severe whiplash and a fractured wrist after being rear-ended at an intersection last month. Hospital records checked out; repair estimates were reasonable. It should have been a clean case.
But something wasn't adding up.
Zee clicked through the files again, his fingers drumming against the desk. The accident report noted that the other driver, a Mr. Nattapong Rattanakorn, had accepted fault, which wasn't unusual in rear-end collisions. But when Zee cross-checked their policiesâout of habit more than suspicionâhe found something peculiar.
Both Thanapon and Nattapong were insured by different companies. Nothing strange there. But their policies had been taken out just six months agoâwithin days of each other. Even more interesting? They had nearly identical coverage: extensive injury protection, high payout limits, and additional loss-of-income benefits.
Zee narrowed his eyes. It was almost as if the policies had been written with a plan in mind.
He pulled up the medical reports. Thanapon had visited a private clinic known for issuing quick injury evaluations, the kind that rarely got questioned unless flagged. The estimated recovery time? Suspiciously long for the type of fracture he had.
Zee leaned back in his chair, exhaling slowly. This wasn't just a claim. This was a setup.
His gut told him there was more. He needed to check the financial records, any connections between the two men, andâmore importantlyâif this was the first time they had filed something like this. But something told him he wouldn't be the only one looking into this. And he had a feeling that whoever was on the other side of this investigation would be just as stubborn as he was.
Joong's POV
Joong didn't believe in coincidences. Not in this line of work.
He adjusted the brightness on his laptop screen, staring at the claim details pulled up in front of him. Case #217-09: Rear-End Collision â Injury Compensation. Another fraud case? Maybe. But he had learned early on not to jump to conclusionsânot without proof.
The policyholder, Nattapong Rattanakorn, had filed for severe neck trauma and partial loss of mobility in his dominant hand. He claimed the injuries had impacted his ability to work, leading him to seek compensation under his loss-of-income coverage. The attending doctor's report detailed the extent of his injuries. The numbers checked out. The treatment plan seemed reasonable.
And yet... something about it nagged at Joong.
He pulled up Nattapong's policy details. His eyes immediately caught something strangeâhis insurance coverage had been purchased just six months ago, with unusually high injury protection and a payout structure that almost seemed too perfectly aligned with his current claim.
Joong's fingers hovered over the trackpad. Six months ago? That's not impossible, but it's suspicious. Most people got insurance as a precaution, not as a perfectly timed safety net.
Then there was the other driver involvedâthe one supposedly at fault. Thanapon Wichai. He wasn't a Sownpo policyholder, but Joong had seen the name before. Frowning, he ran a quick search in the shared fraud database. It took only a few seconds before a match popped up.
His pulse ticked up. Thanapon had also filed an injury claim.
Joong stared at the screen, the pieces slotting together in his mind. Two men. Two separate insurance companies. Two eerily similar claims filed at the same time.
Insurance fraud wasn't just about faking injuries or exaggerating damageâit was about strategy. People like his father had taught him that. Fraudsters knew exactly how to play the system, and the smartest ones didn't go at it alone. They worked in pairs or groups, ensuring they could file claims with different companies, reducing the chances of getting caught.
This wasn't just a simple case of a staged accident. This was orchestrated.
Joong exhaled sharply, rubbing his temple. Who else was looking into this? If Thanapon was insured under a different company, then someone on the other side had to be investigating him. And if Joong knew anything about insurance fraud departments, it was that they weren't exactly known for sharing their findings. Still, one thing was certainâwhoever was handling Thanapon's claim was about to become Joong's biggest obstacle... or his most useful lead.