Insurance Fraud
Most common form of insurance fraud is the exaggeration of injuries sustained in an accident. Claimant in a vehicle accident who sustained genuine injuries may exaggerate their extent, their effect on his ability to work or enjoy life and the length of time it takes for the injuries to heal. Such exaggerations are made with the intention of receiving a higher amount of money. Because many injuries can be exceptionally difficult to quantify (for example, psychological injuries or physical injuries such as whip-lash), insurance investigators will often seek to establish that what the claimant claims is true (for example, if a claimant states he or she cannot work) and that there are no obvious discrepancies in the symptoms claimed (very often examined in conjunction with medical staff).
Surveillance is often employed in insurance fraud circumstances to verify the claim. Another form of lesser known insurance fraud is that of claiming on an insurance policy for injuries sustained before the policy came into effect. For example, in a road accident, a person may claim to have sustained a debilitating back injury. On investigation, however, it transpires that the injury had been sustained in an incident some months or even years before. Very often insurance companies and insurance investigators will study medical reports and history to eliminate this possibility, as well as searching for evidence of previous insurance claims or accidents.