What term describes the act of reporting an accident after obtaining insurance to collect for damages incurred before the policy?

The act of reporting an accident after obtaining insurance to collect for damages incurred before the policy is best described as "past posting." This term specifically refers to the fraudulent practice of backdating a claim or asserting that an event occurred after obtaining a policy when, in fact, it occurred before the coverage began. Past posting is a form of insurance fraud as it involves misrepresentation to garner an undeserved benefit from an insurance policy.

When someone engages in past posting, they attempt to deceive the insurance company by creating a false narrative regarding when the event occurred, thereby enabling them to claim benefits for damages that they would not be entitled to under the terms of the policy due to the timing of the incident in relation to the coverage. This practice undermines the integrity of the insurance system and can lead to serious legal consequences for the individual involved.

Other terms mentioned do not accurately capture this particular fraudulent behavior. Churning typically relates to the unethical practice of repeatedly buying and surrendering insurance policies to generate commissions, while ditching refers more to abandoning a vehicle to evade law enforcement, and a fraudulent claim is a broader term that encompasses various types of false claims made to an insurer, but does not specifically refer to the timing aspect involved in past posting.