Insurance fraud has been around since the dawn of the insurance policy, largely due to its reliance on the honor system. It’s fairly easy to file and process a fabricated claim—just a matter of filling out paperwork online, really. While there are certainly some checks and balances in the claim investigation process, there are often too many variables to make a conclusive determination of a claim’s legitimacy, and with an ever increasing number of policies being created online, the insurance industry needs to take added precautions against fraudsters.
PostOnline.co.uk reports, “Insurers can use indicators and experience of fraud awareness techniques to identify patterns and they are more aware of the possibilities of fraud and exposure they have in the fleet side of the business, but we can’t be complacent.”
According to Damian Ward, head of the fraud team at law firm Halliwells, a more sophisticated variety of fraud involving criminal gangs has been a problem within the industry for quite a while. Ward says fraudsters take advantage of the ease with which motor insurance may be obtained. “With the internet, there is little underwriting control and it is easier for people to set up false policies and claims.”
Insurance fraud investigators may not know what many in the financial, retail and banking sectors are already aware of, which is that the digital devices being used to file claims can be identified as collaborators in a larger conspiracy. Once these PCs, laptops, Macs, tablets, or smartphone are “fingerprinted” and their reputations are established, investigators can begin putting together the pieces of the puzzle in order to take down a criminal enterprise.
ReputationManager 360, by iovation Inc., can re-recognize devices and share the reputation of those devices, plus assess transaction risk in real-time for insurance companies. Hundreds of online businesses use this software-as-service to detect fraud upfront, reduce financial losses and protect their brand reputation.
Robert Siciliano, personal security and identity theft expert contributor to iovation, discusses identity theft in front of the National Speakers Association. (Disclosures)
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