It is Monday morning and Jeremy McFadden, a specialist fraud program at Erie Insurance is the Facebook.® surfing
Jeremy is not reliving the memories of the weekend, it is knee-deep in the investigation work that saves ERIE and its customers several thousand dollars each year.
"Although the vast majority of applications are legitimately subject by honest people, there is a game that requires further investigation," said Gene Robertson, Director of Special Investigation and analysis ERIE. "social media is absolutely help us do that."
Case insurance fraud
insurance fraud is a serious crime in which a person knowingly and intentionally designed to deceive their insurance company. It is different from a false innocent statement a person present without knowing false information to their insurer. (For example, a fire destroyed a camera and someone overestimates how much it costs because it did not receive.)
The circumstances surrounding the suspected fraud tend to be very unusual. "There's a big red flag when the truly fraudulent activity occurs," said Gene. Insurance fraud is a crime in every state and in most cases it is a crime.
cases of insurance fraud end up costing customers
the casualty estimates by the insurance industry that fraud costs between $ 30 and $ 60 billion per year. fraud insurance is the second most expensive white collar crime after tax evasion and it costs honest customers who eventually foot the bill in the form of higher premiums.
Today most people make that connection. "Thanks to publicity campaigns and public awareness with success over the years, the way the public views fraud insurance has really changed," said Frank Scafidi, Director of public Affairs the National insurance Bureau of crime (NICB), a non-profit organization that partners with insurance companies as REA and law enforcement agencies of struggle against the insurance fraud.
"People used to boast a more on the insurance companies, but there is now a realization that this causes your friends and family to pay more," he said .
Piecing together
ERIE beats case of insurance fraud on many fronts. There is the old detective work like visiting the premises, interviews and acting on advice. ERIE also uses sophisticated software and working with the NICB, law enforcement and other insurers.
fraud investigation is to see the whole picture, and social media messages, photos and videos are becoming a part of this image. this does not mean all information is free to play. ERIE respects the rights of privacy of customers looking information not publicly available. this means that ERIE investigators will never create fake profiles to "friend" or "follow" a customer to a suspicious request.
"Our premise REA is to do the right thing," said Robertson. "The protection and respect for the privacy of our customers is a priority in everything we do, including our work investigation. "
Fortunately, such measures are usually not necessary.
"What we find is that fraudsters often fail to cover their tracks," says Robertson. "Even if their profile is private, they often display pages of friends and groups whose accounts are public."
Some recent cases of insurance fraud
just a few cases where information gleaned from social media played an important role in decoding the case of insurance fraud included:
- the Scam Playground: an application was filed for a playground that was damaged beyond repair in a storm. the playing field has been eliminated, leaving ERIE no way to verify the claim. a few weeks later, the applicant was selling the same playground on Facebook
- the Scam pull tractor :. a claim has been filed alleging engine was damaged when someone put the wrong fuel in it. ERIE later found a YouTube video and Facebook photos of the applicant participating in a tractor pulling in the same truck. Personal auto policies exclude coverage ERIE while participating in organized racing, high performance driving, stunting and sporting events
- The Livery Van Scam :. Several people have filed claims to simultaneously ERIE personal auto insurance policy. ERIE later found a van advertising Facebook page of the applicant as a public transport company. Personal auto policies ERIE exclude the transport of persons or goods for hire.
ERIE researchers also unearthed many online photos and comments involving applicants to commit fraud in workers compensation. "I've seen applicants who are" too difficult to work "post updates about their marathon training programs or photos of themselves hiking through the mountains," says McFadden.
When this ERIE someone with strong evidence of fraud, most people will withdraw or stop pursuing a claim. ERIE then turned over to the law enforcement, which will decide how to handle crime.
You can help ERIE fight against fraud
Although social media plays an increasingly important role in the fight against fraud, your contribution is still important .
If you think someone is committing insurance fraud, let ERIE know by calling the fraud department toll free at 800-368-6696 or email fraud.finders@erieinsurance .com. Together, we can reduce this costly crime.
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