View this article online: https://www.claimsjournal.com/news/southcentral/2010/04/20/109149.htm
The Texas Department of Insurance (TDI), through its partnership with the Dallas County District Attorney’s (DA) office, has obtained indictments of 29 individuals for insurance fraud, with eight cases still pending before the Dallas County Grand Jury. TDI reported that the indictments involve approximately $1.25 million in losses to insurers and consumers.
The fraud offenses that prompted the investigations and indictments primarily involve the submission of fraudulent insurance claims. The offenses include worker’s compensation fraud, staged slip and fall accidents, disability insurance fraud, health insurance fraud, and false reports of vehicle theft by owners, in addition to cases of premium theft and fraud by agents against insurance companies and consumers.
Under the Texas Penal Code, it is a crime to file a false insurance claim with an insurance company and claim amounts of more than $1,500 constitute a felony. The Texas Insurance Code also defines criminal acts by insurance agents including application fraud and the misappropriation or conversion of money belonging to an insurer or insured
The Coalition Against Insurance Fraud estimates that insurance fraud costs Americans $80 billion a year. Each family pays nearly $950 in added expenses each year, including increases in insurance premiums and the cost of goods, as the result of insurance fraud.
TDI and the Dallas County DA began an anti-fraud initiative six years ago. Since 2005, TDI has employed a prosecutor who is assigned to the DA’s Specialized Crime Division to focus exclusively on insurance fraud cases in Dallas County.
Source: Texas Department of Insurance