Insurance Fraud - Multiple Policies

A man has been charged with insurance fraud after trying to claim over £1million for a double amputation caused by alleged self-inflicted frostbite. Investigators accused the man, identified only by his surname Chang, of deliberately immersing his legs in a bucket filled with dry ice for 10 hours in order to claim money from insurers when his limbs were amputated for frostbite last February.

Multiple Policies -The 24-year-old suspect claimed he suffered the injuries after riding his scooter on a cold evening in northern Taiwan, suffering blistering injuries as a result. But Taiwan's Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said investigators were alerted when insurers flagged suspicious claims, and found he had taken out several high-payout packages just days before the alleged scooter trip.

The CIB noted in their report that 'Taiwan is a subtropical region' and there are, as a result, 'no known cases of serious frostbite requiring amputation due to natural climate factors in the flatlands'.

Legs Amputated - Chang, a student, underwent emergency surgery in February last year and both legs were amputated below the knee due to fourth-degree frostbite, sepsis and bone necrosis.

Prosecutors said Chang then spent around 10 hours with his legs immersed in the dry ice. Chang was allegedly helped by an accomplice named as Liao, 24. Liao allegedly helped Chang to fill a plastic bucket with dry ice before strapping him into a chair with cable ties.

Liao documented the stunt between 2am and noon on 27 January 2023, according to the prosecutor's statement on March 14. Direct contact with dry ice, a solid form of carbon dioxide with a surface temperature of -78.5C, can quickly damage skin cells and lead to frostbite.

The two suspects successfully were able to claim the equivalent of £5,489 (USD 7,000) from one insurance firm a month after Chang lost his lower legs. Four other companies refused to pay out the rest of his eight disability claims. All five firms reported his suspicious insurance claims to the authorities. In total, the claims reportedly totaled around £1million (USD 1.3 million). Chang and Liao, who went to high school together, have been charged with insurance fraud and attempted insurance fraud as the case continues.

Reporting on their investigation, the CIB presented weather reports that showed the temperatures on the day in question were between 6.1C and 17C, too mild to cause serious frostbite. The agency said Chang's injuries showed he wasn't wearing shoes or socks at the time of his injuries, concluding that they were therefore 'man-made'.

Following a raid on his home in November last year, the police found the bucket he allegedly used along with a polystyrene box that held the dry ice.