No, you wont see any videos on Dateline NBC or 20/20 or any other news show. This is not your typical worker caught on tape fraud. This is workers comp fraud by an employer.
A Marin County, Calif. roofer failed to accurately report his payroll. He was charged with insurance fraud as a result. How is this insurance fraud?
This is a bit different. Workers compensation insurance rates are set by your payroll. As your payroll goes up, so does your workers comp premiums. But, it requires self reporting. You may be audited by your insurance company, but they cannot audit everyone.
In this case, the roofer underreported his payroll. This kept his workers comp premiums artificially low. As a result, he is being charged with fraud.
The moral: business owners must accurately report their payroll to avoid this situation.