Bucks woman accused of insurance fraud

To pay the bills, a Bucks County woman pretended she and her husband each had cancer, billing Allstate $500,000 in fake claims that she typed up on her home computer, according to police.

Cynthia Clarey, 60, of Fairless Hills, was charged Friday with more than 30 felony counts of fraud, forgery and identity theft. She was released on $100,000 unsecured bail.

Clarey ultimately fleeced Allstate out of about $130,000 before the insurance company became suspicious, police said.

The affidavit of probable cause said she claimed her husband had prostate cancer. But the document does not indicate what kind of cancer she claimed to have. She allegedly wrote up fake bills for herself from a gastrointestinal specialist.

When she was caught, Clarey allegedly told police she suffered from "financial hardship due to her husband's medical bills and other expenses."

- Ben Finley