Florida Insurance Premiums May Reflect $100 per Policy in Fraud Costs

Insurance fraud costs U.S. consumers $80 billion annually, according to a recent news report by News4Jax.com. For Florida residents, insurance fraud takes $100 out of consumers’ pockets each year in the form of higher auto and other insurance premiums.

“Staged accidents have been a problem around Florida, especially in urban areas,” reports James Quiggle of the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud. “Sometimes you can arrest the lower level recruiters or fake patients and convince them that they need to rat out the ring members or leaders in order for liens.”

Arson is another common form of auto fraud, according to claims executives from Main Street America who were interviewed for the News4 story. The use of an accelerant in an auto fire, for example, is usually a good sign that fraud is involved.

Social media posts that indicate signs of potential fraud are also coming under close scrutiny by insurance adjusters and claims executives. In one instance, a “bedridden” claimant posted a social media update showing a recent whitewater rafting expedition.

The good news is that many criminals involved in auto insurance fraud and related forms of fraud are caught and brought to justice.

Click on the link to read the full article “Insurance fraud costing all of us $80 billion a year.”