Auto insurance helps provide financial protection and peace-of-mind in the event an individual is injured in a motor vehicle accident or his or her actions result in the injury of another driver, passenger or pedestrian. To help ensure that monthly and annual premiums remain low for all drivers who are covered, insurance companies must do their due diligence to protect against possible fraudulent auto claims.
Annually, millions of drivers and passengers in the U.S. are involved in motor vehicle accidents that leave them with serious and debilitating injuries. For these individuals, auto insurance is a Godsend and aids in easing the financial burdens that are commonly experienced in the wake of a car accident. Unfortunately, the auto insurance industry is also targeted by people who wish to take advantage of the system upon which millions rely and who brazenly file false accident and injury claims.
While soft tissue injuries can and do result from traffic accidents, such injuries are often difficult to diagnose and prove or disprove. Consequently, there are some individuals who may claim to have suffered injuries to the neck and back when in fact they are perfectly fine. In 2007 alone, the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud reports that fraudulent auto insurance claims accounted for between $4.8 and $6.8 billion “in excess payments to auto injury claims.”
The high costs associated with fraudulent or so-called “build up” claims, or claims that are exaggerated, are then passed on to consumers who experience an increase in auto insurance rates. In short, the dishonest individuals who attempt to scam the insurance industry are essentially scamming everyone who owns a motor vehicle and purchases auto insurance.