Within the past few days, we have been working with one of our clients to correct a billing issue and have discovered a new way Scammers are taking your money…NON-AFFILIATED PAYMENT PORTALS!
When you search for your insurance company + pay, there’s an option that appears on page 1 of the google results: Doxo.com. DO NOT USE IT. Whenever you are making online payments, PLEASE double check that you are on the ACTUAL insurance company website. There are unscrupulous entities out there who will accept your payments “on behalf” of the insurance company.
Will the funds be sent to pay your account? Well…it seems that they have been forwarding the money, but it takes 3-4 weeks before the ACTUAL insurance company will get your money. Worse yet, since the insurance company can’t see your pending payment, you may find your policy cancelled. IF you catch it in time, you may be able to reinstate your policy. If not, you’ll be subjected to late fees AND possible surcharges for letting your policy lapse.
In addition to these financial drawbacks, even worse yet are the extremely high processing fees. In our client’s case, a $151 payment due turned into $211 after a $60 processing fee was added. And the insurance company STILL hasn’t received the funds. Luckily, in our client’s case, he was able to dispute the charge with the bank and is getting a refund for the fees, but it’s been quite a hassle.
Our agency is working to get all of the payment and claims portals linked on our website HERE. If your insurance company isn’t listed or isn’t linked yet, feel free to drop us a line at team@aaiemail.com and we’ll move it up the priority list and get it linked so you’ll always know you’re using the right portal.
