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The Costly Perils of Insurance Fraud 保险诈欺代价高昂

课文朗读

课文讲解

繁體中文譯本

Beware! At this very moment, your pockets are literally being picked by insurance crooks. Insurance fraud is a serious crime that drives up insurance costs for every consumer to the tune of about US$80 billion per year in America alone.

当心啊！此时此刻说不定正有些保险骗徒偷了你荷包里的钱呢。保险诈欺是项严重犯罪行为，仅美国一地，每年消费者所损失的金额就约达八百亿美元。

There are two kinds of insurance fraud: hard and soft. Soft fraud is something many of us are willing to accept, even laugh about. This occurs, for example, when people exaggerate injures they suffered in an accident or add to a list of stolen items after a robbery.

保险诈欺分为两种：软性诈欺和硬性诈欺。软性诈欺是许多人愿意接受的那一种，甚至能报以会心一笑。实际状况像是一般人夸大在某意外中的受损程度，或是遭抢后把失窃项目在列表上多加一笔。

By contrast, hard fraud involves premeditated deception, including the elaborate staging of an accident, theft or even death in order to collect insurance moneys. This sort of fraud is especially common with health insurance and medical billing. For example, Harold Goodman, a Massachusetts surgeon, was convicted in 1990 of fraud for routinely giving patients extra X-rays and steroid shots to falsely bill insurance companies.

相形之下，硬性诈欺则是预谋式的骗局，包括精心设计的意外事故、窃案、甚至死亡以诈领保险理赔金。这种诈欺案经常发生在健康险和医疗费上。譬如，一位麻州外科医生哈洛德古德曼在1990年被判诈欺罪，因为他惯常开给病人超出实际需要的X光片和类固醇针剂以向保险公司取得较多费用。

To fight back, many lawmakers are beefing up fraud laws to prosecute insurance criminals. Insurances are joining the fight by creating fraud-busting units staffed with private investigators and ex-police detectives to investigate dubious claims. Insurance fraud is a crime that affects us all, and it can only be combated if consumers and insurance join forces.

为对抗这种行径，很多法界人士把诈欺法条修正得更严谨以起诉诈欺犯。保险公司也加入对抗行列，成立反诈欺工作小组，雇用私家侦探和卸任警探以调查可疑的索赔申请。保险诈欺是种影响我们大家的犯罪行为，惟有靠消费者和保险公司双方合作才能对抗它。

Vocabulary

单词发音

peril [ˋpɛrəl] n. （严重的）危险; 危险的事物

fraud [frɔd] n. 欺诈﹐诈骗

crook [krʊk] n.【口】骗子；偷儿；坏蛋

drive up  使...上升

to the tune of 【口】达到某一(尤指可观的)总数  some amount of money Fig. to a certain amount of money

exaggerate [ɪgˋzædʒə͵ret] v. 夸张，夸大；对……言过其实

premeditated [prɪˋmɛdə͵tetɪd] adj.〔犯罪﹑袭击〕预谋的﹐预先策划的

billing [ˋbɪlɪŋ] n. 开具账单

convict [kənˋvɪkt] v. 证明……有罪；判……有罪，判决

steroid [ˋstɪrɔɪd] n.【生化】类固醇

bill [bɪl] v. 给……开账单；要……付款

beef up 增强，加强

prosecute [ˋprɑsɪ͵kjut] v. 对……起诉；告发

dubious [ˋdjubɪəs] adj. 引起怀疑的，可疑的

Sentence of the Day

Few people actually stoop so low as to stage an accident.

很少人会真正堕落到去制造意外事故。

stoop [stup] v. 自贬，堕落

课文讲解

Bill and Carrie are hurrying to the train station: 比尔和卡莉匆匆赶去火车站：

B: Have you ever heard of Mount E. Bank Insurance Company? My grandfather is considering taking out a policy with them, but I have a bad feeling about them.

妳听过伊山银行保险公司吗？我祖父正在考虑要买他们的保险，但是我感觉他们不太　　　　　可靠。

C: I’ve never heard of them. They could be af ly-by-night operation. You should be wary of insurance fraud.

我没听过这一家，说不定他们的信誉不佳。你可要当心碰到保险诈欺。

B: Isn’t insurance fraud when someone claims damage that has not, in fact, occurred to collect an insurance payout?

保险诈欺岂不是某人假报损失以取得保险给付吗？

C: Yes, but deception can go both ways. Every year people get bilked out of their life savings by phony insurance schemes. These swindlers especially like to target seniors.

是没错，但是双向都有可能诈欺。每年都有人因为保险诈欺被骗光一生的辛苦积蓄。这些骗子又特别喜欢针对老年人下手。

B: Interesting …. I became suspicious when I saw how cheap the proposed policy was. On top of that, the salesperson contacted grandpa by phone.

很玄机…当我看到那项保险费如此便宜就感觉很可疑，除此之外那位保险经纪人都只用电话和我祖父联系。

C: Those are both red flags. Make sure the company and agent are licensed before your grandpa spends a dime. Check the Internet for a government hotline or watchdog organization to contact.

那两点确是警讯。你祖父真的买保险之前，要确定那家公司和保险经纪人都有合法执照。上网查政府的咨询电话监督组织来做联系。

B: I will. But my main concern isn’t money, it’s my grandpa’s health. What if he got sick and the policy turned out to be bogus?

我会的。不过我担心的重点倒不是钱；而是我祖父的健康。如果他病了，结果这保险却是假的，那可怎么办？

C: Well, it’s good you’re catching this in the nick of time.

所以说还好你及时发现这个问题。

B: That’s more than we can say about catching our train.

的确比我们赶火车还有得说。

C: Oh no! The 8:45 just left.

哦，天哪！八点四十五的火车刚开走了。

－by Howie Phung

Vocabulary

单词发音

take out 取得，获得，领到(贷款、执照、保单等) to secure (a license, for example) by application to an authority

policy [ˋpɑləsɪ] n. 保险单；保险

fly-by-night [ˋflaɪbaɪ͵naɪt] adj.【非正式】〔只求迅速获利而〕不讲信用的; 不可靠的〔公司﹑商人等〕

wary [ˋwɛrɪ] adj. 谨防的；谨慎的[F][（+of）]

deception [dɪˋsɛpʃən] n. 欺骗（行为）

bilk [bɪlk] v.【非正式】蒙骗〔尤指骗钱〕

phony [ˋfonɪ] adj.【口】假的；欺骗的

swindler [ˋswɪndlɚ] n. 骗子

on top of that  除此之外, 更严重的是

red flag 红旗，危险信号 a warning signal

hotline [ˋhɑtlaɪn] n. 热线电话；咨询电话

watchdog [ˋwɑtʃ͵dɔg] n.〔确保公司没有从事非法或有害活动的〕监察委员会; 监察人员

bogus [ˋbogəs] adj. 假冒的﹐伪造的

in the nick of time 及时 Fig. just in time; at the last possible instant; just before it's too late.

Sentence of the Day

Beware of a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

当心批着羊皮的狼。(知人知面不知心)