State Antifraud Action Increases Convictions
Monday, September 13th, 1999 FraudHeightened activity by state insurance fraud bureaus has sent arrest and conviction rates for fraud soaring, industry experts contend. In fact, the total number of convictions stemming from fraud bureau investigations totaled 1,800 in 1998, nearly tripling the 1995 figure of 663, according to a survey of state insurance fraud bureaus conducted by the Washington-based Coalition Against Insurance Fraud. Although the Coalition's 1998 survey was not yet completed, tabulated data was given in advance to National Underwriter. In New York, for example, which has among the largest fraud bureaus in the nation, 371 individuals were arrested this year for insurance fraud—the highest number in the 18-year history of the state’s fraud bureau. This number also reflects a 34 percent increase in arrests over the previous year and a 223 percent increase since 1994.
