How can misrepresentation or concealment prevent recovery under an insurance policy?

Misrepresentaion of a risk or concealment of a risk factor is legally considered fraud by the applicant. Misreprentation or concealment is an intentional attempt to obtain coverage or enduce an insurer to accept a risk that it may not have accepted or would otherwise have been rated differently should the applicant have been truthful from the beginning. An insurer is not required to pay losses incurred under a fraudulently obtained policy and could even result in criminal prosecution of the applicant.