Guide to Reporting Insurance Fraud

Reporting insurance fraud is very important, as it is not only the right thing to do, but it will also help to decrease the costs for insurance fraud spread out to all other policy holders. It will also ensure that fraudsters will be brought to justice for their actions, which is very important for ensuring that no one takes advantage of the system. Contact a fraud lawyer to acquire legal advice and assistance.

The best way to go about reporting insurance fraud is to contact your state's insurance fraud bureau. These bureaus are generally state maintained organizations specifically aimed at reducing and eliminating insurance fraud. Reporting insurance fraud to this organization will ensure that your information will reach the correct ears. Furthermore, these bureaus will generally try to protect those who report insurance fraud from any kind of repercussion or connection to the fraud. If you have any information for reporting insurance fraud, then finding out the number for your state's insurance fraud bureau is a good first step.

Unfortunately, not all states have insurance fraud bureaus. If you do not have such a bureau to contact, or even if you do have such a bureau, but you want to report insurance fraud to all the relevant agencies, then you would do well to next contact the insurance company suffering from the fraud itself. Reporting insurance fraud to the insurance company can sometimes help them to begin an investigation into the fraud, preventing any further wrongdoing. Some insurance companies may have toll-free hotlines specifically for this purpose.

The National Insurance Crime Bureau is another good source at which to report insurance fraud. The Bureau is not a government organization, but is instead a non-profit, organized and run by the insurance industry, with its specific purpose being the reduction and elimination of insurance fraud. You can contact them with a number easily found on the Internet, and also by visiting their website at NICB.com.

If you find instances of fraud surrounding specific practices, then you would do best to get in touch with the regulatory body for that specific practice. For instance, if you find out about insurance fraud involving Medicaid, you would do well to report insurance fraud to the US Department of Health & Human Services, as they are the federal body most oriented towards protecting Medicaid.

Similarly, you can report insurance fraud attempts towards the Social Security system by getting in touch with the Office of the Inspector General, which is responsible for the Social Security Administration. You can report insurance fraud involving a health care provider to your state's medical board, which will likely be able to issue some kind of censure upon the doctor to prohibit him from practicing medicine as a punishment.

In general, when reporting insurance fraud, you should be ready and willing to provide as much information as possible. Without your help in providing information, it is likely that your tip may not amount to anything. Important pieces of information that you should strive to have when looking to report insurance fraud include the dates and names of those involved, any organizations that might be involved, the amount of money that you think might have been stolen in the fraud, and as many details about the nature and procedures of the scam as you can possibly provide.