Mass. City Honors OneBeacon Employee for Fraud Fight

Theresa Flaherty, head of the New England Special Investigations Unit of OneBeacon Insurance Co. in Boston, has been recognized by the city of Lawrence, Mass., and Mayor Michael Sullivan for her work and that of OneBeacon to combat insurance fraud.

After a passenger was killed in an allegedly staged auto accident in 2003, Lawrence officials began a major initiative to fight this crime. OneBeacon has supported these efforts by supplying evidence to the Lawrence Police Department, the Insurance Fraud Bureau, the Essex County District Attorney’s Office and other investigators. In addition, the company has donated vehicles and digital cameras to the police department, and trained officers in how to document suspicious accidents at the scene.

OneBeacon also partnered with Amica Mutual Insurance in developing a training program for several Massachusetts police departments that covered staged accidents, stolen motor vehicles and a brief overview of the Massachusetts auto insurance policy.

“We’re very pleased that the city of Lawrence has recognized the contributions that Theresa, and by extension our New England SIU, have made in fighting this problem,” said Peter Vitale, director of OneBeacon’s Special Investigations Unit. “Insurance fraud affects all of us in terms of higher taxes and insurance premiums and OneBeacon is committed to reducing its impact throughout Massachusetts.”