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Your Car Was Stolen – or Was It?

January 14, 2006 by Jonathan Stein

So someone asked what they should do when their car is “stolen.” What is “stolen” and how does it differ from stolen?

Your car is stolen when someone takes it without your permission. You call the police and report it as stolen. Your car is “stolen” when someone takes your car and you now are ticked at them. For example, lets say your boyfriend goes into your purse while you are sleeping, takes your keys and drives your car. He then gets into an accident. Is the car stolen? Probably not. Is the car “stolen?” Maybe. It depends on how ticked you are at him.

This comes up quite frequently. What do you do? If the car was stolen, report it as stolen as soon as possible. If the car was “stolen”, you should not report it as stolen. First, the police may arrest the person who “stole” the car. Second, your insurance company may begin to question you, and if you are not fully honest, they may deny your claim. In that situation, you will get nothing from the insurance company and then you will get arrested.

Sometimes your friends will make a mistake. If they drive your car and get in an accident, yell at them. Do not tell anyone they “stole” your car. And when your rates go up, make sure your friend doesn’t see the inside of your car for a while.

Categories: Auto Insurance, Claims, Law

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