Call GEICO’s Fraud Hotline and Help Crack Down on Phony Claims

WASHINGTON--Even though insurance professionals like GEICO’s Special Investigations Unit already save the insurance buying public millions and millions of dollars each year by preventing and exposing false claims, GEICO is stepping up the battle against insurance fraud by activating a new national fraud hotline.

The GEICO Fraud Hotline number is 1-800-824-5404 ext. 3313 and it is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Common types of insurance fraud are staged accidents, exaggerated injuries, inflated medical bills, and phantom medical treatments. “If any customer feels they or someone they know has been a victim of these illegal activities, GEICO encourages them to call the GEICO Fraud Hotline and report their suspicions,” said Seth Ingall, vice president of GEICO’s claims division.

“Every year, insurance fraud costs the industry and consumers billions of dollars. Fraud leads to higher auto insurance rates for everyone. By reporting insurance fraud, consumers can help combat fraud and help lower rates for all policyholders,” Ingall added.

Steve Rutzebeck, director of GEICO’s Special Investigations said, “Within GEICO, there is a special unit whose sole mission is to detect, deter, and defeat insurance fraud. This division, known as GEICO Special Investigations, is composed of specially trained insurance fraud investigators, many of which are former law enforcement investigators. Right now we have several task forces pursuing leads on those running phony medical mills, billing for non-existent procedures, inflating medical fees and taking advantage of the public.”

According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), insurance fraud costs consumers $30 billion annually. The average family pays more than $300 in additional premium each year as a result of insurance fraud.

Insurance fraud includes any act of falsifying or exaggerating the facts of an accident to an insurance company to obtain payment that would not otherwise be made. If you think you are a victim of a staged accident and other fraudulent activities related to phony auto claims, please call 1-800-824-5404 ext. 3313 or visit GEICO’s fraud Web site to report fraud: http://www.geico.com/auto/claims/fraudinvestigation.htm.

GEICO is the fourth-largest private passenger auto insurer in the United States. It provides auto insurance coverage for more than 7 million policyholders and insures more than 12 million vehicles.