Florida CFO Stresses Insurance Fraud Prevention Efforts

As Fraud Prevention Month came to a close, Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater announced that the Florida Department of Financial Services remains focused on raising awareness of insurance fraud and its impact on the lives of Floridians. He also reassured citizens that his office will continue to combat this unlawful activity.

Throughout the country, the overall price tag for fraud is more than just a dollar amount in a budget report. The estimated $80 billion annual cost of fraud poses potential fiscal drains not only to insurance companies but to law-abiding insurance customers who in turn have to pay higher premiums.

According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), auto insurance fraud, homeowners’ insurance fraud, and workers’ compensation fraud make up the three most prevalent types of insurance fraud. In addition, personal injury protection, or PIP, fraud accounts for nearly 50 percent of all fraud referrals in Florida.

The Florida Legislature passed HB119 in 2012 to reduce PIP fraud and yield savings for consumers. Florida auto policyholders have saved $65 since passage, according to the Atwater release, resulting from a statewide decrease in PIP fraud of 13.6 percent.

Also, the Department of Financial Services’ Division of Insurance Fraud (DIF) has helped bring fraudulent offenders to justice by actively pursuing these criminals through their investigations. Since 2011, when CFO Atwater first took office, DIF personnel have made a significant impact in the fight against fraud:

• 5,708 insurance fraud arrests made
• 4,485 fraud convictions stemming from these arrests
• 96% conviction rate in partnership with local law enforcement and the State Attorney’s Offices

The Department’s Division of Consumer Services also conducts a consumer educational program, notes Atwater, to help Floridians from becoming fraud victims. Consumers who become aware of potential fraud can report it using an Insurance Fraud Hotline at 1-800-378-0445, or on the webpage www.MyFloridaCFO.com/Fraud. An Anti-Fraud Reward Program is in place to award individuals up to $25,000 for information that directly leads to an arrest and conviction in an insurance fraud scheme.