NY Senate Hopeful About Changes To Reduce Auto Insurance Fraud

Many drivers in the state of New York have been upset because of the fact that so many criminals have seemingly been getting away with automobile insurance fraud. A week ago, the New York Senate passed three new laws that are designed to tackle the problem. Over nine years ago, a grandmother who was 71 years old was killed in New York because of the criminal actions of people who were committing auto insurance fraud.
It has taken a long time for state politicians to really take notice and understand that this type of crime is very serious. An innocent elderly woman lost her life as a result of people trying to make a quick buck by scamming auto insurance companies.
People who are involved in no fault automobile accidents can now collect compensation from their own auto insurance companies. This is a new law because people could not do it before. The hope is that these drivers will be able to have protection in the event that they are hit by someone who is trying to commit auto insurance fraud.
Auto insurers now have the ability to cancel a driver’s insurance policy if the premiums go unpaid. For example, a person who is committing fraud often will ditch paying their insurance premiums on time because their end goal is to bilk their insurance company out of thousands of dollars. Being able to go back and retroactively cancel a policy means that the driver never had coverage in the first place and cannot make an insurance claim.
This is a great source of protection for auto insurance companies. Before this law was enacted, it was against the law to do this. Many people who commit fraud steal credit card and checking account information as well. Why should auto insurance companies have to pay out compensation for fraudulent claims from individuals who never even paid their insurance premiums?
People who commit these offenses will be charged with a felony. This is a serious change that is one that many people stand behind. It is very hard to overcome a felony conviction and jail time is not very avoidable. Punishments had been fines and probation for most criminals who commit auto insurance fraud. Most people convicted of an auto insurance fraud felony will be in jail for at least three to five years.
Deterrents are important to have in place because billions of dollars are lost each year due to the fraud. One issue many New York insurance claims adjusters face is that they handle a lot of claims each year. Being able to sort them out and eliminate fraudulent claims is very tough. Police officers and policy holders are the first on the scene when an automobile accident takes place. Having your eyes open is very important. Police officers need to be able to interview those drivers that were involved and ask the right questions.
Many criminals have a script that they follow after the initial accident occurs. They will want to race and call the other driver’s auto insurance company very quickly. They will give out fake personal information. Police officers should take photographs of the accident scene and verify the information that they are given. If they do not, then issues will come up when a claims adjuster runs the information. By already having this step completed, then red flags can be raised as quickly as possible.
The State Assembly still has to take action on the bills so that they can be fully enacted. It looks as though they will in fact become law. New York lost more than 79 million dollars last year due to auto insurance fraud. The hope is that these bills can begin to make a dent in this figure so that policy holders will not feel the pinch any more of such high auto insurance premiums.
The public needs to become more involved. You can often sense when someone is trying to pull a fast one. Many drivers feel frazzled after an automobile accident takes place. If a driver seems cool, calm, and collected then something is wrong. It is important to look out for yourself and your auto insurance company. Every instance of insurance fraud that occurs causes a ripple effect. Most drivers are now seeing this because they are seeing that their insurance premiums are going up even though they are doing nothing differently.
The New York Insurance Commission will work with law enforcement officials to investigate cases of auto insurance fraud. Hopefully, the new bills can be a stepping stone to drivers being protected from this type of fraud.