Often, people who file false claims so they can be paid by an insurer do not think they are doing any harm – or they do not care. However, insurance fraud is a crime that is detrimental to everyone involved, from the insurance company to consumers, who pay for the bogus claims of others with higher premiums. It is likely that your company deals with insurance in some form or other. At the Aldrich Law Firm, Ltd., we feel it is important that you and other Las Vegas business owners understand how insurance fraud can affect companies and consumers.
Bankrate lists several common types of insurance fraud that may be committed by a variety of people, including policy holders, customers, employers or insurance agents. For example, you might have read news stories about people who filed slip-and-fall claims after pretending to be injured in a grocery store. Others were caught in a lie after planting an insect or mouse in food and claiming the restaurant or food manufacturer was at fault. Some policy holders try to collect insurance money by destroying a vehicle or burning their home down. In a crime that is more common than most might think, some people try to fake their own deaths so co-conspirators can collect on the insurance.
In complex insurance fraud cases, your insurance agent might sell you a policy, but pocket the money and leave you unprotected without your knowledge. Your doctor or auto repair shop could bill your insurance company for inflated claims, tests or services that were not performed.
Insurance fraud costs companies and consumers billions of dollars in investigations, payments and raised premiums. You may learn more about insurance legal matters by visiting our insurance litigation page.
