Commissioner King: Avoid Buying Coverage from Dirt-Cheap Insurance

Office of Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire, May 10, 2023

ATLANTA – Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John F. King is warning all Georgians against purchasing insurance coverage from the fraudulent company Dirt-Cheap Insurance.

In the last few years, at least three suspects, Deamarkis Barber, Oluwatosin Oyediran, and Kamaria Berry have been involved in scams with Dirt-Cheap Insurance. These individuals sell illegitimate policies to their victims, who are then instructed to pay insurance premiums through money transfer services like CashApp.

“Most recently, Mr. Barber has been charged with two additional counts each of insurance fraud and theft by deception after stealing $1,200 dollars from his victims, who were only made aware of the fraudulent activity after being stopped by police,” said Commissioner King. “Consumers should be aware of deceptive practices used by individuals and companies like Dirt-Cheap Insurance to avoid being scammed.”

We encourage consumers to protect themselves from this kind of scam by utilizing the following tips:

Always review your insurance policy and make note of any grammatical errors or obvious discrepancies, like different font sizes or off-coloring.

Avoid paying bills through third-party money transfer services.

Verify the individual or company is licensed to sell insurance in Georgia using our online lookup tool.

Obtain multiple quotes for coverage; if one is substantially lower than the rest, then practice caution before purchasing.

If you are ever in doubt, give our Consumer Services team a call at 1-800-656-2298.

News article: https://oci.georgia.gov/press-releases/2023-05-10/commissioner-king-avoid-buying-coverage-dirt-cheap-insurance