Problem Child

Have you ever witnessed a child exhibiting disruptive or antisocial behavior in the supermarket, retail store, or some other public place? It's an unpleasant sight to watch, and it's an even more embarrassing and agonizing experience for the parent who has to deal with it. What's your typical response? Do you quickly walk past, grateful that it's not your child? Do you empathize with the parent and offer assistance? Do you shake your head in disgust and blame the parents? Or does the thought cross your mind of what you would do in the situation to stop the inappropriate behavior? Well imagine that the problem child is fraud.

Fraud is a multi-billion dollar a year problem child that impacts each and every one of us. The NICB, its member companies, law enforcement, and other fraud-fighting agencies deal with its disruptive and egregious behavior every single day. The behavior isn't in the form of a child having a tantrum, kicking, or screaming. Rather, it's the multitude of costly and sometimes life-threatening fraudulent schemes that are perpetrated against the public. On any given day, disaster victims may be victimized twice when they're taken advantage of by a dishonest contractor. A person's financial stability and credit may be ruined by identity thieves. Innocent people may suffer injury or even lose their lives when individuals stage accidents. Consumers may pay more for goods and services when businesses are targeted for slip-and-fall and other fraudulent claims. There is no shortage of schemes, and sadly new ones emerge each day. The NICB partners with insurers and law enforcement agencies to facilitate the identification, detection and prosecution of insurance criminals.

Make no mistake: fraud is a problem child. But unlike those scenarios in which it's someone else's child and therefore their responsibility to deal with, we all pay the price for fraud. This problem child will continue to get bigger if the public and even organizations choose to ignore it, point the finger of blame in someone else's direction, or wait for someone else to deal with it.

Take a stand against fraud. If you suspect fraud has occurred or witness fraudulent activities, report it. Contact the NICB at 1-800-TEL-NICB (835-6422), your insurance provider, or a local law enforcement agency.