The Coalition Against Insurance Fraud has recently released the worse insurance offenders of 2009.

They list the most shocking frauds of the year gone by and it's certainly not a pleasant read.

The list, compiled on http://www.insurancefraud.org/hall_of_Shame.lasso?RecID=1737 includes the following devious characters, all of whom went through the US legal system last year.

Inept Arsonist

On a more lighthearted note, dozy Juan Jose Luna decided to launch an insurance fraud by torching his own home.   Having taken out home insurance he doused the property with petrol and set it alight.   He was likely trying to fake an arson attack but this clumsy, halfwit plan went dangerously wrong when, instead of simply catching alight, the house exploded, showering the neighborhood with glass and debris.

Firefighters were greeted by a mini war zone and Luna was found dazed, wearing clothes smelling of gasoline and with his fingers broken and badly burned.   He was served nine months in jail for his deception.

This seedy list shows how insurance can be abused by the criminal-minded and insurance companies need to keep on their toes when handling claims.