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Part 4: NICB and Hurricane Katrina: A 10-Year Retrospective


hurrican katrina

DES PLAINES, IL - Aug. 27, 2015: Each day this week the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) is releasing segments of a five-part documentary video that provides first-hand recollections of NICB employees and law enforcement personnel as they reflect on their roles in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

In terms of property damage, Hurricane Katrina was the most costly on record with insured losses estimated at over $41 billion. Part of that figure came from insurance claims on more than 300,000 vehicles damaged or destroyed by Katrina—vehicles that presented an attractive opportunity for fraud.

Video release schedule:
Monday, Part 1: Multistate Devastation     
Tuesday, Part 2: NICB's Initial Response
Wednesday, Part 3: Vehicle Identification
Thursday, Part 4: Coast to Coast Impact
Friday, Part 5: Birth of VINCheckSM

Today's video segment shows how in the weeks and months after Katrina, NICB agents were finding vehicles damaged by floodwaters for sale from New York to California. These potential coffins on wheels were just waiting to be purchased by unsuspecting consumers.