SIU News

Mercury Insurance SIU Celebrates 40 Years of Crime Fighting

Mercury Insurance’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU), founded in 1978, is the company’s secret weapon against fraudulent insurance claims, which cost the average U.S. family $700 per year in increased premiums. The goal of the unit, which consists of 40 seasoned …

Pennsylvania Court Awards Summary Judgment to Insurer Accused of Bad Faith

A judge in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania awarded summary judgment to an insurer accused of bad faith after denying a man’s claim for losses exceeding $1 million when a fire destroyed his home. The …

Insurers, Law Enforcement Fight Cargo Theft With ‘Sting Trailers’

Somewhere in America, a tractor-trailer loaded with hidden surveillance equipment is parked at a truck stop or warehouse while authorities wait for thieves to steal it. No one is sure when, or even if, crooks will take it. But such …

Media Portrayal of Workers’ Comp Fraud Impacts Real Life Claims

The depiction of workers’ compensation fraud in television shows has impacted the public’s perception of the crime, said two experts during a session on the subject at the Combined Claims Conference held recently in Orange County, California. While workers’ comp …

Commentary: Strategies to Keep SIU Focus on Point

Like a prize fighter waiting for the opportunity to land the right punch, Special Investigative Units (SIU) investigate questionable cases with the goal of shutting down a fraudulent claim or scheme. Such focus can lead to a concentration of effort …

Seattle Attorney Pleads Guilty to Insurance Settlement Theft

Seattle private law attorney Edward Joseph Callow, 39, pled guilty in King County Superior Court to five felonies including conspiracy, two counts of first degree theft, money laundering, and obtaining a signature under duress or deception, related to the theft …

Mercury’s SIU Exposed Nearly $24M in Attempted Insurance Fraud in 2013

Insurance fraud, the second most costly white collar crime in America (behind tax evasion) continues to grow, with questionable claims rising 26.7 percent across the U.S. in the two-year period from 2010-2012. The Mercury Insurance Special Investigation Unit (SIU) consists …

Tim Cloney Hired as Special Investigations Unit Manager at Investigation Solutions, Inc.

San Diego, CA, 03/06/13 – Investigation Solutions, Inc. (ISI) announces the addition of veteran fraud fighter Tim Cloney to its management staff. Cloney joins ISI as the manager of the Workers’ Compensation Special Investigations Unit and all California field investigators. …

Profile: Workers’ Comp Fraud Expert Takes Old School Approach

When a Southern California family was convicted of workers’ compensation insurance premium fraud, it wasn’t due to sophisticated software, a supercomputer or even high-tech surveillance techniques. It was the result of good old-fashioned detective work, according to Maryann Lazernik, who …

Allstate Files $796,000 Insurance Fraud Case in New York

Allstate Insurance is seeking to recover more than $796,000 from eighteen New York-area defendants. The lawsuit was filed following an investigation by Allstate’s Special Investigative Unit and seeks reimbursement for personal injury protection benefits Allstate paid on behalf of its …