How One Association Is Working to Stop Fraud In Its Tracks
The following is from an article written by Susan Besze Wallace for FORUM Magazine.
Like the accident, the phone call seemed to come out of nowhere. It was just a fender bender. Luckily no one was injured by the texting teen's failure to stop her car, but the man who dialed within days of the incident told the owner of the bumped bumper that she was entitled to $10,000 for her accident. "But I'm not hurt," she said. "It doesn't matter," he dangled. "I can get you up to $10,000." "But nothing is wrong," she explained. He paused a moment, waiting for a spark of interest. It wasn't coming. Click.
On this day, the man wouldn't find someone willing to perpetrate fraud for some quick cash. Instead, he found the wife of the police chief in Hialeah, Fla., a hotbed for insurance fraud and the site of one of seven major medical fraud task forces recently established by the National Insurance Crime Bureau.
"Some people think that in these economic times, 'Why shouldn't I get $10,000 if I can?'" says Hialeah Police Chief Mark Overton. "Criminals are appealing to greed and need. They think, 'Who does it hurt?' But it hurts us all."
Read the full article.
Anyone with information concerning insurance fraud or vehicle theft can report it by calling toll-free 800.TEL.NICB (800.835.6422) or submitting a form on our website.
About the National Insurance Crime Bureau: Headquartered in Oak Brook, Ill., the NICB is the nation's leading not-for-profit organization exclusively dedicated to combatting and preventing insurance crime through Intelligence, Analytics, and Operations; Education and Crime Prevention; and Strategy, Policy, and Advocacy. The NICB is supported by more than 1,200 property-casualty insurers, self-insureds, rental car, vehicle finance, and auto auctions. To learn more, visit www.nicb.org.