Insurance is a way to protect you and your property from various risks. It is of two types:
- mandatory;
- voluntary.
In the First case, insurance is necessary – this is dictated by law. There are few types of compulsory insurance:
- Medical
- Pension;
- Third-party liability insurance for vehicle owners;
- Liability insurance for businessmen as well as for several groups of professionals. For example, it is necessary to insure those who work as a notary, depositary, cadastral engineer, appraiser, arbitration manager or customs representative.
Voluntary insurance is, as the name implies, a conscious choice. Almost everything can be insured: football players insure their legs, singers insure their voice. You can insure life, health, house, cottage, car.
Table of Contents
Why do you need insurance?
Insurance does not protect against accidents, natural disasters, bankruptcy, illness and other unpleasant things. But it will help cover losses:
- A scratch on a new car is unpleasant. But it is not so unpleasant if you have comprehensive insurance that will cover the cost of eliminating it.
- Travel flu is a shame. But it’s not so sad if you have travel insurance, thanks to which your treatment will be free.
- The neighbors flooded – it’s a shame. But it’s not so insulting if the insurance company pays for apartment repairs.
What to look for when choosing an insurance company
- License
The company must have a license for a specific type of insurance. Check if there is a license for exactly the type that you need. - Tariffs
Insurance tariffs must comply with the requirements established by the Bank. Very low rates can be a sign of a scam. The approximate cost of the policy can be calculated online on the website of the insurance company. Calculate the cost on the websites of different companies, check the numbers. Please note: the more risks provided for in the contract, the higher the price of insurance. - Reputation
Focus on well-known companies with a good reputation that have been operating in the market for a long time. Ask friends, read reviews on the Internet. - Conditions
Carefully study the conditions of insurance. Demand the full version of the contract, since far from everything is written on the policy form. Pay special attention to the paragraph where the signs of an insured event are listed. Find out what insurance doesn’t cover. Check with the representative of the company the procedure for indemnification in various situations, ask about the timing.
What is insurance fraud and how to avoid becoming a victim of fraud
The phrase “Insurance fraud” is more often used when talking about deception on the part of the insured – in cases where the client of the insurance company tries to illegally receive money. But customers who want to insure or have already done so can also face fraud or dishonesty of the insurance company.
Sale of fake policies
This is an actual problem for OSAGO policies. For example, a person bought a car and went to register it. On the way, I met street agents and immediately issued a policy for only 1,000 rubles. Seems like a good savings. Formally, the form of such a policy is real, but in insurance companies it is listed as invalid (lost). And a client can ride with him for a whole year and not know that he bought a fake. Problems will begin if an insured event occurs. You will not be able to repair the car or receive money under this policy.
Fraud online
You can take out a policy online for most types of insurance. This is convenient, saves time, and the main thing is not to get on a fake (phishing) page that duplicates the site of a real insurance company. Therefore, carefully check the page on which you plan to buy a policy. Make sure that this is the company’s official website: pay attention to the address in the browser’s address bar, to the secure connection icon or its absence.
Imposed insurance
Imposed Insurance is not pure fraud, but rather the dishonesty of some insurers and credit organizations. They take advantage of the fact that people do not read the contract, do not delve into what they sign. By law, the bank cannot demand insurance from you when issuing a loan. He is obliged to offer an uninsured loan option (but in this case, the uninsured loan rate will be higher).
Example: a client took out a car loan, carefully read the contract at home, searched for information on the Internet and found that along with the loan he took out three insurances, and much more expensive than the average market price, and he does not need two of them. What to do? The client has the right to refuse these insurances, for this there is a cooling period. It lasts at least 14 calendar days after the purchase of the policy. During this time, you can turn in your insurance policy and get your money back.
