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Two insurance agents who admitted to falsifying medical treatment records and submitted fraudulent claims have been fined $5,000 each and suspended for a year.

The Insurance Council of BC said one of the agents made around $2,000 making the fraudulent claims, while the other made about $1,500.

According to two separate Insurance Council of BC decisions, Aline Marie Jacob and Nicola Sonia Barabas were both fired after their employer found out about the fraudulent claims and reported them to the regulator.

The decisions don't name the employer or say whether the two women were colleagues, but the dates and other information given in the decisions indicate the two worked at the same firm.

The decisions say both women admitted to their conduct and were remorseful.

Barabas submitted eight fraudulent emergency accident benefit claims between April 2020 and July 2021.

"The insurer's investigation revealed that the Licensee did not receive medical care from the clinic noted in the medical documentation attached to the emergency benefit claim forms. The insurer's investigation further determined that the name of the treating doctor in one of the claims was fictitious," the decision reads.

Barabas said in some of the claims she made she did have a valid injury and she was not sure why she chose to falsify the records instead of seeing her doctor.

The decision says Barabas was forthright and honest throughout the investigation and took full responsibility. She said she was embarrassed and she'd made efforts to "better herself" and remedy the situation.

The regulator deemed that Barabas' personal circumstances at the time were relevant to her mindset and contributed to her actions, although it's not stated what those circumstances were.

"(The regulator) did not feel that this conduct was representative of the Licensee and appeared to be a mistake during a difficult period in (her) life," the decision reads.

Barabas has also paid the money back.

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In Jacob's case, she made $1,500 from submitting five fraudulent claims between November 2020 and June 2021. In one claim, the doctor's name was fictitious.

She said she had lost about $30,000 in renewed commissions since being fired. She also took full accountability for her actions.

Jacob said at the time she was not in a good frame of mind and her work environment impacted her outlook.

"(She) recalled instances when she was troubled by particular sales tactics or techniques and addressed these issues with her manager only to be dismissed," the decision reads.

"(The regulator) believes it is important to recognize the environment (she) said she experienced to understand her mindset at the time of the misconduct and concluded this was a mitigating factor," the decision said.

The Insurance Council says it feels sympathy for both women and their suspension should be on the lower end of sanctions.

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Ultimately, both receive $5,000 fines, plus $1,062 in costs and will have their licences suspended for a year.

They both have six months to pay the fine, an increase from the usual three months.

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