San Jose insurance agent charged with ‘good student’ discount fraud

SANTA CLARA COUNTY – A former auto insurance agent has been charged with submitting fraudulent documents to obtain lower rates for his clients, as well as rack up thousands of dollars in commissions for himself, according to South Bay prosecutors.

Thomas Truong, 61, of San Jose, was scheduled to be arraigned Monday afternoon, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release. If convicted, he will likely be ordered to pay restitution and serve a county jail sentence.

Truong allegedly submitted “good student” forms from Mission College in Santa Clara to his employer, Farmers Insurance, to get discounts for at least 10 clients, according to prosecutors. Eight had never attended college and the others did not attend during the dates listed on the forms.

Prosecutors said a California Department of Insurance investigator found Truong fraudulently altered a total of 10 college diplomas, 14 high school report cards and 10 school official statements.

When shown the altered documents, each client told the investigator they had never seen them before, according to prosecutors. Many of the clients also said they were not aware they were receiving the discounts Truong had allegedly obtained on their behalf.

Farmers Insurance fired Truong in June 2022 after the alleged crime came to light.

“The massive losses caused by insurance fraud statewide – large and small – trickle down to us all,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said a statement. “We’re determined to enforce the law and even the playing field for businesses and customers.”