FL Citizens Cash in at Fraudsters’ Expense

It’s no secret that Florida is currently leading the nation in staged accidents, and with premiums on the rise, more citizens are starting to get involved in the fight against fraud. Now state officials want to reward those informants for blowing the whistle on fraud with cash incentives.

It looks like credit card companies aren’t the only ones offering cash rewards these days.  According to the Insurance Journal, Florida’s CFO, Jeff Atwater announced that eight Florida citizens were awarded a total of $50,500 after tipping off Florida’s Division of Insurance Fraud about local schemes that led to the 26 arrests and uncovered approximately $2 million in fraudulent insurance claims.

‘“These citizens stepped up and made a tremendous contribution to the fight against insurance fraud,’ said Atwater. ‘Their actions go beyond these cases—they have helped every Floridian who pays more than they should for insurance premiums.’”

While crime doesn’t usually pay, these informants managed to cash in on the fraudster’s bad behavior by blowing the whistle on these schemes. Four of the cases reported involved PIP fraud while others were rewarded for tipping off authorities about a corrupt auto glass company in Jacksonville.  Details of those cases can be viewed here.

As a part of its Anti-Fraud Reward Program, the Department of Financial Services has awarded 40 citizens approximate $250,000 to date. Informants can earn up to $25,000 for information leading directly to the arrest and convictions in insurance fraud cases.  With drivers paying approximately $400 a year for fraudulent claims, those rewards appear to be well spent to get those who perpetrate these schemes behind bars and help keep Florida’s insurance premiums down.