Virginia Declares ‘Insurance Fraud Awareness Week’

Virginia has declared this week as “Insurance Fraud Awareness Week,” part of a statewide push to stamp out the crime, which costs households in the state upwards of $1,000 a year.

“Virginia has made great strides in the statewide fight against insurance fraud,” said Colonel W. Steven Flaherty, Virginia State Police Superintendent. Since 1999, when the state police set up a specialized, insurance fraud unity, more than 13,000 suspected cases of insurance fraud have been reported, resulting in more than 1,500 arrests and $13 million in court-ordered restitution. The dollar amount of reported, suspected false insurance claims surpassed $86 million.

“Insurance Fraud Awareness Week” is an annual event designed to raise community awareness of insurance fraud, create more widespread public knowledge of the IFP and its purpose, and educate Virginia citizens in the prevention and reporting of insurance fraud.

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Source:Virginia State Police