South Carolina Seeing File Variety of Insurance coverage Fraud Complaints

South Carolina in 2022 noticed a document variety of complaints about insurance coverage fraud, and has nearly matched the quantity by the primary 10 months of this 12 months.

And a few state lawmakers at the moment are trying into the explanations for the rise. Extra sources are wanted to handle the disproportionate quantity of insurance coverage fraud within the state, DOI’s Fraud Division Director Joshua Underwood, an assistant state legal professional basic, informed a legislative committee final week, based on information experiences.

DOI’s annual report for 2022 exhibits the division obtained 3,182 fraud complaints that 12 months. And to this point this 12 months, the division has seen about 3,000 experiences. The division noticed a gentle rise in fraud complaints from 2012 to 2019, once they topped 3,024, then a decline till the numbers rose once more in 2022.

It’s unclear what’s driving the spike in complaints. However Underwood informed lawmakers that just about half of the fraud claims have been auto insurance-related, together with the staging of accidents by organized crime rings.

The state’s state of affairs is probably not as dangerous as another states. The DOI annual report notes that South Carolina ranks 19^th within the nation, down from 15^th, within the variety of questionable claims submitted, based on the Nationwide Insurance coverage Crime Bureau. Questionable claims from staged auto accidents, nevertheless, have saved the state ranked at No. 9 within the nation in that class.

The Fraud Division has 5 brokers devoted to investigating fraud, which is fewer than neighboring states, WSPA TV information reported. The division added a full-time coordinator and two attorneys in 2022 in an effort to whittle down a backlog of instances, the annual report famous.

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