Disaster Fraud Focus of Louisiana Insurance Fraud Conference

Disaster fraud was discussed at length at the 2014 Conference on Insurance Fraud & Auto Theft held in Baton Rouge, Louisiana last month.

Walter Green, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Louisiana said the National Center for Disaster Fraud handles calls 24 hours a day. Hurricane Katrina generated more than 30,000 fraud complaints and agencies still receive complaint calls relating to the 2005 storm.

According to Green, the executive director of the NCDF, those who commit disaster fraud typically have never lived in the affected dwelling or lived it in before or after the disaster event. In addition, suspects usually have submitted a number of false claims using other names and addresses. Suspects will make claims under both FEMA and flood insurance, may make a claim in the name of a deceased individual and may use false social security numbers.

“Most of these cases are not giant cases moneywise, they will range anywhere from a few thousand to tens of thousands,” Green said.