Oscar Rafael Ruiz spent 2023 and 2024 globe-trotting, losing luggage again and again—and claiming close to $300,000 from travel insurers along the way.
North Carolina officials allege that the majority of Ruiz’s travel insurance claims were fraudulent, supported by falsified hotel expenses and fake receipts for luggage purchases. This month, the 44-year-old Charlotte resident was formally charged with 52 felony counts in connection with the alleged scheme, according to the state’s Department of Insurance.
The Department of Insurance reported this week that Ruiz successfully obtained $22,240 from his claims and tried to claim another $262,100 before insurers became suspicious and initiated an investigation. The fraudulent paperwork involved forged credit card and bank statements, counterfeit Amazon receipts, and repeated assertions that his flights were canceled and his luggage either lost or stolen multiple times.
Ruiz was taken into custody by the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office on July 8 and subsequently released on a secured bond of $260,000. He made a court appearance in Mecklenburg County District Court the following day, July 9.
