February may be considered the month of love, but MPI’s TIPS Line suggests otherwise with an increased number of calls.

MPI Chief Operating Officer Curtis Wennberg says February was the busiest month for tip calls last year.

He adds that all the calls to the TIPS Line are anonymous.

“Some callers will admit to being an ex-spouse or ex-partner of a person allegedly defrauding the Corporation. We can only speculate that emotions of past romantic relationships are triggered by increased talk about Valentine’s Day. Regardless of the reason, MPI is very appreciative of their help.”

From 2015-2019, on average, there has been an increase in calls to the TIPS Line during the month of February. 2019 saw a record high 594 calls, compared to 439 in February 2018.

MPI says the information received from calls to the TIPS Line is carefully reviewed in order to determine legitimate calls from frivolous calls, in order to make sure innocent customers aren’t impacted.

MPI estimates that fraud costs ratepayers 50 dollars per year.

No matter the month or special occasion, anyone with information about auto insurance fraud is encouraged to call the Manitoba Public Insurance TIPS Line: 204-985-8477 or toll-free 1-877-985-8477.