How Insurance Companies Spot Fraudulent Personal Injury Claims

Unfortunately, there are people in the world who will file fraudulent personal injury claims in order to make money.  Believe it or not, some may go so far as to intentionally cause an accident.  For example, the driver in the car in front of you may purposely slam on their brakes in the hope that you will rear end them, and they can fake an injury.  Naturally, insurance companies review claims carefully so as not to be fooled by these false claims.  There are a variety of issues which can cause a red flag with an insurance claim.

• Insurance companies keep thorough records on claims and will notice if someone submits more than the average number of claims in their lifetime.
• Insurance companies are constantly looking for things that may be suspicious about a claim.  One example would be someone submitting a handwritten receipt for repairs, rather than a formal computer printout.  Another would be someone who submits a claim for stolen property shortly after increasing their homeowner’s insurance.
• Insurance companies are aware of doctors who are known scammers.  For example, a doctor may tell you that you are more injured than you actually are in order to rack up more billable hours for the insurance company to pay for.  Insurance companies will review medical bills and notice if it appears you are being billed for procedures which were not medically necessary.
• Insurance companies will check up on individuals filing claims through social media.  First, people have been known to openly brag about their scams online.  Second, they may find current photos of a person who claims to be severely injured out partying, thus contradicting their stated injuries.
• Insurance companies also have special investigators review their claims.  For example, they can send someone to take a look at a vehicle after a car accident to determine if the damage is in line with what was reported.

If you have been involved in an accident and believe the other party is committing insurance fraud, speak with an experienced personal injury attorney to determine next steps.