Staking Out the Stats

Despite increased controls, insurance fraud continues to be an industry concern. A recent Accenture survey finds that the majority of Americans say insurance fraud occurs because people believe they can get away with it. Here is a look at current consumer attitudes toward insurance fraud: *32% said they believe that people who commit insurance fraud do so because they believe they pay too much for insurance *24% said people commit insurance fraud to make up for their deductibles. *45% of respondents who knew someone who submitted a claim for an amount higher than their actual loss said that a third party such as a doctor, auto body shop or insurance appraiser was involved in the insurance fraud. *49% of respondents said they believe that people are discouraged from committing fraud as a result of the increase in conviction rates, severe punishments and media coverage of high-profile corporate scandals. *95% said it is important for insurance companies to investigate potentially fraudulent claims; the primary reason given was to control premium expenses, selected by 63% of respondents. *56% of respondents agree that as the economy picks up people are less likely to commit insurance fraud than they would during an economic downturn.