Curbing insurance fraud in Maryland
According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau workers’ compensation fraud is almost $7.2 million per year. Therefore, insurance companies are looking to take steps to prevent fraud before it happens. Two tactics that insurance companies may use in the future are social media and surveillance of a claimant. While there may be higher upfront costs related to monitoring someone who may be committing fraud, it could cut down on costs later on.
Looking for signs of a fraudulent insurance claim can make it easier to determine who may be attempting to commit a crime and catch that person in the act. One sign of fraud are claims being made on Monday morning for injuries that allegedly occurred the previous week. If there are no witnesses to the injury or conflicting reports of what caused it emerge, that could also increase the odds that a claim is fraudulent.
Social media may be a useful tool because investigators can look for photos of a claimant and make a positive identification. Investigators may also be able to determine an individual’s address through a search of social media profiles. Posts made to social media accounts may make it possible to determine if someone who claims to be injured is taking part in strenuous activities that an injured person wouldn’t engage in.
Most workers’ compensation claims, of course are not fraudulent, but that does not mean that an employer or its insurer will not contest them. This is why it could be advisable to have the assistance of an attorney to help ensure that the claim contains as much supporting evidence as possible and that it is submitted on a timely basis.