Inside “The Life”

By John Nicholas

Today there are many self professed “gypsy crime experts. “But theirs is a knowledge gained from investigations conducted or from information volunteered by gypsy informants. These experts don’t know the real lifestyle or speak the gypsy Romany language. I say this with authority because I am a gypsy.

I am also a cop.

There are two other gypsy cops in the US today; however, they choose not to give up the gypsy secrets. If they did, they would suffer the loneliness of being ostracized from the family as I have. My peoples’ life is no longer my life. I am proud to be a cop.

Throughout history, gypsies have survived by using their wits, cunning and skills. Their greatest asset is their ability to adapt and, without losing their cultural identity, remain isolated in society. Their lives, however, are dependent upon certain crimes unique to their culture crimes that are a multi million dollar a year business.

Gypsy life is simple ...make money and live a good life. They do not care about politics, world news, the stock market, etc. They only care about those things that directly affect them (e.g., a fresh area to operate the cons and swindles).

The life is the same now as it was decades ago. Today they drive Mercedes, wear gold Rolex watches and basically “live the good life. “At the turn of the last century, they drove a nice wagon, carried a gold timepiece and “led the good life. “Little is known about these people because they will only divulge that which they want you to know.

The scams (or their livelihood, as they call it) are the “American way." Just make money! In part, they justify it by claiming that the bank directors, politicians, governors, etc., are stealing millions every day.

To understand gypsies, you must realize that theirs is a nonviolent crime and they do not want to change. The life is good, the money is great and the criminal justice system in this country has its own problems prosecuting economic crimes.

To further understand “the life,” you must realize that the gypsy people live in their own world with their own justice system. It is unknown how many are in the US today, and there will never be an accurate count. Little is known about the American Gypsy culture and that is because the less that is known about them, the more freedom they have to operate their cons and scams. Of course, the more that is known by law enforcement and the insurance industry the better chance we have to stop the scams.

The basic work unit of the gypsies is the family a (family). This is also why investigations are extremely difficult. Each man, woman and child is expected to contribute to the "familya’s" welfare. All will work as a group, each with a part to play. Children as young as four or five may be taught to fall down in a store or to participate in a diversionary tactic. Many scams require “team members” in order to be successful.

First, gypsy crimes are usually easy to identify because of certain unique and demonstrable characteristics although they can be violent toward each other, murder is unthinkable. The crimes they report themselves which list other gypsies as suspects are almost always fabricated stories and attempts to get the police involved in a gypsy feud.

Second, gypsies are extremely superstitious. Magic and religion heavily influence their beliefs and actions. They sincerely believe in witches, demons, luck, curses, the “evil eye,” etc. Because they dread the spirits of the night, almost all of their crimes are committed between dawn and dusk. They are adept at entering locked doors and windows without damaging the locking mechanisms and never intentionally break windowpanes or mirrors because of the bad luck that would follow.

Third, because gypsies are essentially a nomadic people, they have learned to steal easily disposable items and leave behind things that are bulky or easily traceable. Cash and items containing gold, silver or precious jewels are preferred. They are intuitively aware of common hiding places and usually leave a neat, un-ransacked and frustrating crime scene which suggests to the police investigator that the thief had prior knowledge of where the victim’s valuables were hidden.

Investigators will find dealing with gypsies to be an unusual and educational experience. Here are some recommendations that you may find helpful in determining if, in fact, you have a gypsy crime:

1. The method of operation (MO) will be recognizable as one used by gypsies.
2. Good Friday is an active day for Gypsy crimes.
3. A gypsy will do anything to avoid jail agree to a conviction, pay a fine, pay court costs and restitution (and will always pay in full) and always will repay the victim.
4. The crime is always nonviolent.
5. They will hire the “best” attorneys and bondsmen.
6. They will rarely commit crimes in the area (city, county, etc.) where they are staying.
7. They are “cons” and always will try to “con” and talk the “con. “
8. False identification is a way of life with them. They will have numerous ID’s.
9. Fingerprints are the only way to identify subjects but only then by the “original” name they were arrested under (which is also probably also false!).

Fake claims are a favorite with some gypsies and they are known to operate a number of insurance scams and swindles. They seethe insurance industry as a big banking industry existing simply for withdrawal of money. They know that the insurance companies are in business to make money and that adjusters want to pay as little as possible on any claim brought against the company. Gypsies fully understand “nuisance claims” and they take absolute advantage of those companies that are willing to settle quickly, even if it is for a small amount of money. In fact, they keep records by the company, the location and even the individual adjuster.

Gypsies know how to work the insurance system. They have been operating insurance swindles for decades. They report lost luggage to airlines, fictitious robberies and thefts to police and phony personal injuries to individual businesses. Staging an accident is not unusual; they slip and fall while shopping or tip over merchandise and shopping carts, which they have deliberately placed in the aisle. Since they rarely own their own homes, some specialize in arson and collect insurance money for property and clothes which they claim were destroyed or damaged by smoke.

Some create elaborate hoaxes to collect automobile insurance settlements. There really are no limits to their creativity, because they also know that if an SIU performs a thorough investigation and finds enough reason to deny, chances are excellent that the matter will end with the denial. The company will be satisfied to simply not pay the claim; very few will continue to investigate with an eye toward prosecution. These “losses” serve as learning tools and the next accident will adapt to the shortcoming that caused the denial.

The keys to gypsy insurance swindles are the ability to change identities, have multiple addresses and be able to move on a moment’s notice if things get too hot (i.e. local law enforcement or insurance SIUs).

The gypsy people have the ability to obtain all kinds of bogus identification. They are experts at using older females and/or children as integral parts of the schemes because most adjusters cannot comprehend an individual endangering an elderly parent or a young child as part of a scam. Some families have been known to train children as young as five years old to actively participate in slip/falls and other staged insurance claims.

Gypsies use the US Mail, Fed Ex and other delivery companies to move paperwork between them and the insurance adjusters. They rarely come in to an office for an interview and usually use the telephone for contact with the adjusters to give statements.

The main element that gypsies use in their scams are the amounts for which they are willing to settle, usually three, five and seven thousand dollars. They understand that any amount they get is essentially 100 percent profit, because all they have actually expended is time and talk. They are also aware that many companies have given the adjusters power to “sign off” on claims in the field and that each adjuster has an authority limit. The adjuster is allowed to negotiate with the claimant and settle the claim on the spot. That’s why most gypsies will take a few thousand dollars in exchange for a few days of talking quick and easy hits and then move on.

The gypsy people know that the only way insurance companies can keep track of every claim in the US and Canada is by computer records. They know that name, date of birth and social security numbers will be used to check prior to claims payment and then entered into the permanent record after the claims payment. With this in mind, they readily change names, dates of birth and SSNs. They also move freely from place to place, further confusing the system.

The most common Gypsy insurance scams include:

1. Automobile Owner.

2. Airport/Airline Baggage.

3. Rental Car Companies.

4. Rental Truck Companies.

5. Mobile Home Rentals.

6. Slip and Falls.

7. Home Owners.

8. Renter’s Insurance.

There is only one sure way to combat such crimes. Companies must train their adjusters and SIU investigators on the operation of Gypsy insurance scams and swindles. By understanding the people and learning how they think, carriers can recognize and defeat the schemes.