CHAPTER EIGHT INSURANCE-RELATED CRIMES

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1 CHAPTER EIGHT INSURANCE-RELATED CRIMES The Impact of Insurance Fraud Arson and Its Impact Auto Theft and Its Impact Auto Thefts by Indiana Counties Auto Thefts by State

2 THE IMPAC T THE IMPACT OF INSURANCE FRAU D Pro p e rty/casualty insurance fraud costs i n s u rers $27 billion in Fraud is more pre valent in a recession, and after major catastro p h e s. The National Insurance Crime Bu re a u estimates that workers compensation fraud costs the insurance industry $5 billion each ye a r. Mo re than a third of workers said it was acceptable to stay out of w o rk and collect benefits because they still have pain, although their doctors a p p roved their return to work. Health care fraud is enormous as large as $95 billion. A nationwide insurance fraud bure a u study released in 2001 by the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud found that criminal convictions for insurance fraud more than doubled, from 961 in 1995 to 2,123 in The number of cases pre s e n t e d for prosecution by state attorneys general rose from 1, 562 to 4,000 during those years and civil actions more than tripled. it also found that states are spending about 43 cents per resident to combat fraud. S o u rce: In s u rance In f o rmation In s t i t u t e It is estimated that eve ry American household pays approximately $300 extra in insurance premiums each year to offset the cost of fraud, according to the National Insurance Crime Bu re a u. At least 10 percent of all pro p e rt y - c a s u a l- ty insurance claims are either inflated or outright fraudulent. The Insurance Re s e a rch Council (IRC ) estimates that more than one-third of i n j u ry claims from car crashes invo l ve fraud or deliberate exaggeration of i n j u r i e s. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce says fraud adds 25 percent to pro p e rt y - c a s u a l- ty insurance rates. Of eve ry claim dollar, at least 10 cents goes to fraud, a c c o rding to the In s u r a n c e Information In s t i t u t e. If the amount of insurance claims fraud and the amount of vehicle theft occurring in the Un i t e d Sates we re a corporation, it would rank in the top 25 of the Fo rtune 500. National In s u rance Crime Bu re a u WHO COMMITS F R AUD Career criminals, sometimes working with unethical lawyers and doctors. Motorists and homeow n e r s t rying to make a quick buck by padding claims. 28 percent of Americans think it s all right to inflate a claim to cover a collision deductible, according to N I C B. COMMON FRAU D S C H E M E S Lying about the way a loss o c c u r re d. Including previously existing damage to a car when submitting a claim. Listing an adult as the primary driver of a car when it s actually someone under 2 1. Withholding information about past accidents, traffic tickets and claims. Describing stolen items as having higher than their actual value on an insurance c l a i m. Withholding information about past K E Y S TATE LAWS AGAINST INSURANCE FRAUD As of August 2003 State Insurance Fraud Immunity Statues Fraud Bureau Classified As A F e l o n y Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware D. C. Florida G e o rgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan M i n n e s o t a M i s s i s s i p p i M i s s o u r i M o n t a n a N e b r a s k a N e v a d a New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New Yo r k North Carolina North Dakota O h i o O k l a h o m a O r e g o n P e n n s y l v a n i a Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Vi rginia Washington West Vi rginia Wisconsin Wyoming S o u rce: Insurance Information Institute MOST COMMON INSURANCE FRAUD SCAMS 2000 Bodily Injury Fraud Auto Repair Fraud Homeowners Claim Fraud Worker s Compensation Fraud National Insurance Crime Bureau l o s ses and cancellations when applying for insurance. w w w. s t a t e f a rm. c o m

3 ARSON AND ITS IMPAC T Arsonists intentionally set fires that destroyed $1.2 billion in insured pro p e rty in 2001, including factories, residential buildings, churches and motor vehicles. This total does not reflect the events of September 11, Arson is not solely a pro p e rty crime. Exc l u d i n g September 11, the number of civilians killed in arson fires in buildings in 2001 totaled 330. Arson crimes are hard to solve only 16 percent of cases ended in arrests in 2001, according to the FBI. T h e re we re 39,500 intentionally set vehicle fires in These fires caused an estimated $219 million in pro p e rty damage. S o u rce: In s u rance In f o rmation In s t i t u t e THE IMPACT Arson, the willful and malicious act of burning p ro p e rt y, continues to be a costly crime. On a national level, arsonists destroyed $1.5 billion in i n s u red pro p e rty in These monetary damages included both buildings and automobiles. In Indiana alone, the State Fi re Marshal re p o rted that $19,586,792 worth of buildings and their contents we re destroyed by arsonists in MOTIVES Some of the motives related to arson include dire c t and indirect financial gain, re venge, concealment of a crime, fun or to re l i e ve boredom, and emotionally related crimes. Children are also responsible for many of the arson fires set in the United St a t e s. CASE SOLVING One major problem with arson is that the crime is h a rd to solve. In fact, only 16 percent of cases end in arrest. Recent technological bre a k t h roughs have helped the cause. Thanks to increased aware n e s s about arson, sophisticated modeling programs are being designed and used by arson investigators that help them understand how and where fires start in b u i l d i n g s. Indiana Arson Frequency and Motives, January-August 1999 The following results are from the Indiana State Fire Marshal s O ffice Arson Investigation Division. These figures reflect statewide arson cases that the State Fire Marshal investigated in M o n t h A r s o n s Estimated Monetary Damage J a n u a r y 16 $7 7,720, 930 F e b r u a r y , 250 M a rc h , 850 A p r i l 19 5, 963, 000 M a y , 250 J u n e , 825 July , 059 A u g u s t 18 1, 830, 293 S e p t e m b e r 23 3, 237, 036 O c t o b e r 27 1, 035, 285 N o v e m b e r 26 1, 208, 300 D e c e m b e r 22 1, 075, arsons $ 18, 390, 436 monetary damage Motives Behind These Arsons Children playing with fire: 4 Irrational action: 1 J u v e n i l e / v a n d a l i s m : 8 R e v e n g e : 7 S p i t e / r e v e n g e : 17 Spite/revenge and intent to defraud: 2 F r a u d : 5 Financial gain: 3 Crime concealment: 7 D o m e s t i c : 1

4 AUTO THEFT AND ITS IMPAC T A MAJOR PROBLEM Motor vehicle theft is a major p roblem not only in the big U.S. cities, but also in the rural counties of Indiana. In fact, auto theft in Indiana has increased by more than 7 percent according to the In d i a n a Anti-Car Theft Committee. T h i s p roblem is one of the major causes for rising insurance rates. Indiana An t i - Car Theft Committee 1997, American Legislative Exchange Council SOME FACTS ABOUT MOTOR VEHICLE THEFT On the national fro n t The number of U.S. motor vehicle thefts increased by 1.4 p e rcent from 2001 to 2002, the third consecutive annual i n c rease. The total number of motor vehicles stolen in 2002 was 1,246,096. In 2002, the value of stolen motor ve h i c l e s was $8.4 billion, up 2.4 percent from $8.2 billion in The average value of motor vehicles re p o rted stolen in 2002 was $6,701, compare d with $6,646 in Vehicle theft is the most costly p ro p e rty crime in the Un i t e d St a t e s. If vehicle theft we re a legitimate business, it would rank 56th among America s largest c o r p o r a t i o n s. Ve h i c le t h e f t c o s t s A m e r i c a n c i t i zen s over $7.6 billion a n n u a l l y. Only 13.8 percent of thefts we re cleared by arrests in Eve ry 24 seconds, a motor vehicle is stolen in the Un i t e d States. The odds of a ve h i c l e being stolen we re 1 in 194 in A $20,000 stolen vehicle can be stripped and sold into $30,000 worth of part s. In 1996, automobiles accounted for 78.3 percent of the stolen vehicles, 16.5 perc e n t for trucks and buses, and 5.2 p e rcent for motorc ycles and all o t h e r s. An experienced thief can steal your car in less than a minute. In In d i a n a Auto theft costs Indiana residents over $100 million a n n u a l l y. Vehicle theft has declined four c o n s e c u t i ve years in the Un i t e d States, but has increased in Indiana by 7.11 perc e n t. Indiana ranks 16th in the nation in total thefts. Ga ry / Hammond ranks 44th i n the nation for vehicle theft. Te r re Haute ranks 119th in the nation for vehicle theft. South Bend ranks 127th in the nation for vehicle theft. Indianapolis ranks 83rd in the nation for vehicle theft. MOST STOLEN VEHICLES IN INDIANA, 2001 R a n k Ye a r M a k e M o d e l - N a m e O l d s m o b i l e Cutlass Ciera SL C h e v r o l e t K1500 4x4 Silverado C a d i l l a c D e v i l l e C h e v r o l e t L u m i n a F o r d F150 4x C h e v r o l e t Blazer 4x C h e v r o l e t C1500 4x C h e v r o l e t M10 4x2 A s t r o O l d s m o b i l e Cutlass Supreme P o n t i a c Bonneville LE S o u rce: CCC Information Services, Inc. MOTOR VEHICLE THEFT IN THE UNITED STAT E S, Year Vehicles stolen Percent change ,563, % ,539, ,472, ,394, ,354, ,242, ,152, ,160, ,228, ,246, Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Uniform Crime Reports. Sources: Insurance Information Institute WORST OVERALL THEFT LOSSES NATIONALLY Make and series Model years Thefts Mercedes S class l Acura Integra Acura Integra Mitsubishi Montero Sport Mercedes SL class conv Nissan Maxima Lexus GS 300/ BMW 3 series BMW 7 series Lincoln Navigator v387 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

5 AUTO THEFTS BY INDIANA COUNTIES NUMBER OF AUTO THEFTS BY INDIANA COUNTIES, 1997 COUNTY # OF THEFTS Adams 23 Allen 1726 Bartholomew 16 Benton 7 Blackford 11 Boone 10 Brown 2 Carroll 7 Cass 56 Clark 182 Clay 9 Clinton 13 Crawford 7 Daviess 13 De Kalb 20 Dearborn 26 Decatur 15 Delaware 386 Dubois 27 Elkhart 677 Fayette 4 Floyd 95 Fountain 1 Franklin 5 Fulton 6 Gibson 5 Grant 139 Greene 2 Hamilton 107 Hancock 23 Harrison 51 Hendricks 35 Henry 85 Howard 130 Huntington 34 Jackson 69 Jasper 15 Jay 16 Jefferson 4 Jennings 40 Johnson 89 Knox 344 LaPorte 532 LaGrange 19 Lake 4784 Lawrence 71 COUNTY # OF THEFTS Madison 11 Marion 8135 Marshall 31 Martin 7 Miami 3 Monroe 197 Montgomery 69 Morgan 56 Newton 22 Noble 63 Ohio 0 Orange 4 Owen 2 Parke 6 Perry 14 Pike 1 Porter 283 Posey 68 Pulaski 6 Putnam 38 Randolph 35 Ripley 15 Rush 18 Scott 16 Shelby 7 Spencer 5 St. Joseph 866 Starke 3 Steuben 72 Sullivan 5 Switzerland 4 Tippecanoe 220 Tipton 2 Union 5 Vanderburgh 506 Vermillion 19 Vigo 477 Wabash 41 Warren 1 Warrick 27 Washington 9 Wayne 175 Wells 21 White 16 Whitley 4

6 U. S. AUTO THEFTS REPORTED BY STAT E S TAT E 1999 THEFTS 2000 THEFTS % CHANGE A l a b a m a 13, % A l a s k a 2, 658 2, A r i z o n a 38, , C a l i f o r n i a 168, , C o l o r a d o 14, , C o n n e c t i c u t 11, , D e l a w a r e 3, 043 3, F l o r i d a 93, , G e o rg i a 40, , H a w a i i 4, 660 6, I d a h o 1, 898 2, I l l i n o i s 20, , I n d i a n a 20, , I o w a 5, 135 5, K a n s a s 6, 048 6, K e n t u c k y 8, 631 9, L o u i s i a n a 21, , M a i n e 1, 694 1, M a r y l a n d 25, , M a s s a c h u s e t t s 25, , M i c h i g a n 56, , M i n n e s o t a 13, , M i s s i s s i p p i 13, 532 6, M i s s o u r i , M o n t a n a 1, 896 1, N e b r a s k a 5, 440 5, N e v a d a 13, , New Hampshire 1, New Jersey 35, , New Mexico , New Yo r k 58, , North Carolina 25, , North Dakota 1, O h i o 39, , O k l a h o m a 12, , O r e g o n 13, , P e n n s y l v a n i a 39, , Rhode Island 4, 032 4, South Carolina 14, , South Dakota Te n n e s s e e 25, , Te x a s 92, , U t a h 7, 382 6, Ve r m o n t Vi rg i n i a , Wa s h i n g t o n 33, , West Vi rg i n i a 3, 762 3, Wi s c o n s i n 13, , Wy o m i n g N AT I O N A L 1, 52, 075 1, 165, %