Let’s start with some numbers. In this 2019 Insurance Fraud survey, loss ratios were 73% in the US. On average, 10% of the incurred losses were related to fraud, resulting in losses of $34 billion per year.
By actively fighting fraud we can improve these ratios and our customers’ experience. It’s time to take our anti-fraud efforts to a higher level. To effectively fight fraud, a company needs support and commitment throughout the organization, from top management to customer service. Detecting fraudulent claims is important. However, it can’t be the only priority. Insurance carriers must also focus on portfolio quality instead of quantity or volume.
It all comes down to profitable portfolio growth. Why should honest customers have to bear the risks brought in by others? In the end, our entire society suffers from fraud. We’re all paying higher premiums to cover for the dishonest. Things don’t change overnight, but an effective industry-wide fraud approach will result in healthy portfolios for insurers and fair insurance premiums for customers. You can call this honest insurance.
The Insurance Fraud Survey was conducted
- to gain a better understanding of the current market state,
- the challenges insurers must overcome
- and the maturity level of the industry regarding insurance fraud.
This report is a follow up to the Insurance Fraud & Digital Transformation Survey published in 2016. Fraudsters are constantly innovating, so it is important to continuously monitor developments. Today you are reading the latest update on insurance fraud. For some topics the results of this survey are compared to those from the 2016 study.
This report explores global fraud trends in P&C insurance. This research addresses
- challenges,
- different approaches,
- engagement,
- priority,
- maturity
- and data sharing.
It provides insights for online presence, mobile apps, visual screening technology, telematics and predictive analytics.
Fraud-Fighting-Culture
Fraudsters are getting smarter in their attempts to stay under their insurer’s radar. They are often one step ahead of the fraud investigator. As a result, money flows to the wrong people. Of course, these fraudulent claims payments have a negative effect on loss ratio and insurance premiums. Therefore, regulators in many countries around the globe created anti-fraud plans and fraud awareness campaigns. Several industry associations have also issued guidelines and proposed preventive measures to help insurers and their customers.
Engagement between Departments
Fraud affects the entire industry, and fighting it pays off. US insurers say that fraud has climbed over 60% over the last three years. Meanwhile, the total savings of proven fraud cases exceeded $116 million. Insurers are seeing an increase in fraudulent cases and believe awareness and cooperation between departments is key to stopping this costly problem.
Weapons to Fight Fraud
Companies like Google, Spotify and Uber all deliver personalized products or services. Data is the engine of it all. The more you know, the better you can serve your customers. This also holds true for the insurance industry. Knowing your customer is very important, and with lots of data, insurers now know them even better. You’d think in today’s fast digital age, fighting fraud would be an automated task.
That’s not the case. Many companies still rely on their staff instead of automated fraud solutions. 67% of the survey respondents state that their company fights fraud based on the gut feeling of their claim adjusters. There is little or no change when compared to 2016.
Data, Data, Data …
In the fight against fraud, insurance carriers face numerous challenges – many related to data. Compared to the 2016 survey results, there have been minor, yet important developments. Regulations around privacy and security have become stricter and clearer.
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is only one example of centralized rules being pushed from a governmental level. Laws like this improve clarity on what data can be used, how it may be leveraged, and for what purposes.
Indicating risks or detecting fraud is difficult when the quality of internal data is subpar. However, it is also a growing pain when trying to enhance the customer experience. To improve customer experience, internal data needs to be accurate.
Benefits of Using Fraud Detection Software
Fighting fraud can be a time-consuming and error-prone process, especially when done manually. This approach is often based on the knowledge of claims adjustors. But what if that knowledge leaves the company? The influence of bias or prejudice when investigating fraud also comes into play.
With well-organized and automated risk analysis and fraud detection, the chances of fraudsters slipping into the portfolio are diminished significantly. This is the common belief among 42% of insurers. And applications can be processed even faster. Straightthrough processing or touchless claims handling improves customer experience, and thus customer satisfaction. The survey reported 61% of insurers currently work with fraud detection software to improve realtime fraud detection.
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