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| Fighting Insurance Fraud
We'veall heard the stories. A slumlord burns down the apartment house to collect onthe insurance policy. In an effort to get a better premium rate, your neighborunderreports the length of his commute. Insurance fraud is anything that anyonedoes knowingly and deliberately for the purpose of obtaining an unwarrantedfinancial gain at the expense of the insurer. Major scams or minor infractions, they're all examples of the same thing,salvatore ferragamo shoes for men, and they can be committed by anyoneconnected to the insurance pipeline. Nobody gets hurt, right? Manypeople excuse insurance fraud. Policyholders claim that they're only recoupingsome of the high premiums they pay. Many professionals, regulated by peerorganizations that do little to police or punish the activity, see insurancefraud as a minimum-risk, maximum-return means to shore up sagging profitmargins. Law enforcement officials rarely give this sort of crime top priority. Even the insurance companies sometimes pay suspicious claims rather than sufferconsumer perceptions of bad faith. So, if it's all a victimless crime, what'sthe harm? Theharm is, we all get hurt. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau(NICB), insurance fraud is the nation's second-costliest white-collar crime,salvatore ferragamo sale shoes, conceding the spotlight only to tax evasion. The losses reach $100 billionannually. How does that trickle down to you? Anyone who has any kind ofinsurance is paying more for it because of the costs of insurance fraud. TheCoalition Against Insurance Fraud figures that the average American householdcoughs up an additional $1, 000 per year in insurance premium payments to coverthose costs. Aren't you hurting now? Soft or hard, it's still fraudProvidingfalse or misleading information in an attempt to increase the chances of beingaccepted for insurance or to get the policy at a lower premium are examples ofwhat the insurance industry considers soft fraud. Others include: Underreporting the number of miles driven annually Misrepresenting where the car is garaged Omitting portions of a medical history on a health insurance application Underreporting the number of employees who need workers' compensation coverage Anotherform of soft fraud, sometimes called opportunity fraud, involves policyholdersor other claimants who inflate a legitimate claim, as in: Overstating on a loss form the value of items stolen from a business or home Inflating an auto repair claim to cover the insurance policy's deductible Exaggerating the extent of the injuries suffered in an auto accident Bycomparison, hard fraud most often involves either staging or making up an eventthat results in an insurable loss. One of the costliest forms of insurancefraud around, a single conspiracy involving several parties (e. g., medicaldoctors and patients) can bilk the insurance system out of millions of dollarsa year. Hardfraud also includes actions committed by insurance company employees. Forexample, a life insurance agent collects your premium payments and never turnsthem in to the company; you (or your beneficiary) won't know that the insuranceisn't in force until a claim is filed, and by then it's too late for you tocomplain. Or,ferragamo outlet, a claims representative accepts a piece of the action fromdoctors in exchange for approving payment for procedures that the doctors neverperformed. CounterattackHere'swhat you can do to help combat insurance fraud: Make sure your insurance company is licensed with your state's insurance department, and that your agent is licensed to sell policies for that company Keep all of your insurance policies in a secure place, and keep your policy numbers private As you receive statements from your insurance carrier(s), make sure the dates, types, and amounts charged and paid for services are correct Check medical insurance statements carefully for double billings or billings for unperformed procedures Periodically check to make sure your premium payments were received and credited to your account, and avoid paying your premiums in cash--you'll want a paper trail if there's ever any problems Don't sign any blank claim forms If you're in an accident,ferragamo wedges, be wary of strangers approaching you to recommend a doctor or lawyer If you suspect an instance of fraud, contact your state's insurance fraud unit, your insurer, and the NICB hotline at (800) TEL-NICB Written byTerm Life Insurance Quote | Term Life Insurance Quotes: BeamaLife.Topics related articles： discount ferragamo shoes online 2753 puma shoes outlet 1371 article12481 |
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