Taking Fraud by Storm
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TAKING FRAUD BY STORM 2 017 Annual Report 2 President’s Letter: It’s Raining Solutions at NICB CONTENTS 4 Data Analytics: Faster Storm Chasing 6 Investigations: Shooting For (and From) the Sky 8 Training: Steady in any Weather Photo: Tornado damage in Texas 10 Legislative Advocacy: Stealing Fraud’s Thunder 12 Public Awareness: A Flood of Vital Information 14 Membership: New Ports in the Storm 15 Membership Listings 22 Financial Statements 24 Board of Governors 26 Advisors to the Board 27 NICB Senior Leadership Team Harvey, Irma, Maria. solution proving its mettle before, during and after vastly expanding our members’ abilities to quickly struck and wreaked their havoc, our teams instantly PRESIDENT’S natural disasters in assisting NICB members, first uncover potentially fraudulent claims, support their mobilized. Every department got involved, with In 2017, this trio of names was indelibly etched into responders and law enforcement agencies. investigations and streamline workflow efficiencies. team members working day and night to support the insurance industry’s collective memory. response efforts. We did it the same way we have LETTER This solution starts with something the NICB has • We introduced a new website in 2017 for since 1912: Selflessly and with the best interests of They were among the 17 named storms and 10 Atlantic during natural catastrophes that private companies consumers to more easily gather information our members, law enforcement agencies and the hurricanes that battered the United States and NICB lack: Access to affected areas given our century- that can help them avoid becoming crime American public top of mind. members with record-setting damage and insurance long relationships with law enforcement agencies victims, as well as better understand the insurance It’s Raining Solutions at NICB claims. It was a year none of us will soon forget: nationwide. From there, we partnered with leading- industry’s proactive solutions for addressing There’s no umbrella large enough that can protect Several Category 5 hurricanes; only the second year edge technology experts to create an intelligence- fraud and vehicle theft. insurance criminals from getting soaked by NICB since 2007 in which two Cat 5 storms made landfall; gathering process that uses high-resolution aerial solutions. And among the few things that haven’t and tied for the most consecutive Atlantic hurricanes imagery to not only assist first responders and law • Our Training Department began to redevelop changed during the past 105 years is the NICB’s since recordkeeping began in 1851. enforcement agencies in saving lives, but also help more than 1,300 paper-based NICB Indicators extraordinary appreciation and gratitude to our Photo: Geospatial Intelligence Center before-and- our members assess and pay damage claims faster. of Fraud to transform them into interactive tools members for your partnership. Together, we’ve after images of Hurricane Irma damage in Florida BEFORE It was also the costliest hurricane season ever with which provide a faster avenue for identifying proven we can weather any storm. more than $280 billion in damages, easily eclipsing With this unique access and groundbreaking fraud indicators in claim submissions. the previous $159 billion mark established in 2005 technology, we now play a bigger role in helping when Hurricane Katrina slammed New Orleans. storm and disaster victims more quickly get their • NICB Government Affairs experts supported lives back together. After reading about the legislation that not only curbed rogue contractors Joseph H. Wehrle, Jr. These 2017 storms, as well as other natural disasters GIC’s progress and massive potential in this from defrauding our members and their insureds President and Chief Executive Officer such as record-setting wildfires and mudslides in annual report’s “Investigations” section, I’m sure following natural disasters, but they also helped California and Tennessee, left catastrophic human, you’ll be as excited about this solution as all of several state fraud bureaus obtain additional financial and emotional devastation in their wake. us are at NICB. crime-fighting resources. Yet they also left something else: Spatial-age solutions are just one way we rained • Our Public Awareness efforts blanketed areas Fraud. And lots of it. on fraud’s parade in 2017. Many of our crime- affected by the year’s storms and natural disasters fighting responses are ones the NICB has offered with messages that helped homeowners and And that’s where the National Insurance Crime for years, yet we continually improve upon them businesses from being victimized twice by Bureau enters the picture. In 2017, we took fraud to deliver greater impact for members, law criminals who prey upon them during these crises. by storm by deploying our ingenuity, technologies enforcement agencies, lawmakers, prosecutors and well-earned reputation as an organization and the American public. Add it all up and our membership enjoyed a 15:1 that immediately addresses massive problems. return on investment in 2017. For example: Our newly formed Geospatial Intelligence Center, None of our results and progress on so many or GIC, is one example of how we do this. What • We migrated information and data from our fronts would have been possible without the began with a 2014 membership survey regarding former members-only website to the Insurance united front demonstrated by the NICB’s nearly cybercrime issues, the GIC is now a first-of-its-kind Services Office (ISO) ClaimSearch® system, thus 400 employees. When these natural catastrophes AFTER 2 Insurance criminals rely on speed when trying safe technology allows members to safely share DATA to defraud insurers and outrun law enforcement claims material for investigations. agents. They commit crimes quickly, push for fast claims settlements and hope we’ll be several steps Further, we enhanced secure file transfer protocol A N A LY T IC S behind when coming after them. (FTP) delivery of fraud alert information to improve our members’ workflow efficiencies. For example, In 2017, our Data Analytics team accelerated using FTP, we can instantly gather multiple NICB our members’ abilities to move rapidly, efficiently fraud alerts and directly deliver them via encrypted Faster Storm Chasing uncover fraudulent claims, and better stay ahead transfers to our members’ systems, thus allowing of the criminal storm. them to immediately distribute this valuable information within their own organizations to detect Information clutter is the last thing any of us want to potentially fraudulent claims before payments are encounter when detecting, deterring and stopping made. Our secure FTP sites were also an invaluable 2017 KEY STATISTICS Photo: NICB Data Analysts provide vital training to insurance crime. It simply slows us down, which is tool for members when transmitting large, complex member companies, law enforcement and other agencies what criminals hope for. As information delivery claims data related to 2017’s hurricanes, therefore to assist them in their insurance fraud investigations. ForeCASTSM Reports Published systems have evolved in recent years, so have supporting faster storm response efforts. NICB methods for providing data to members for 37 analysis and investigation. And what started last year as a Texas-based project MedAWARE® Alerts Published and then quickly expanded into a nationwide beta 755 To speed things up and cut through clutter, in 2017, test is QCNet, which identifies service providers— we completed the migration of data previously such as body shops and health clinics—that ForeWARNSM Alerts Published housed on the NICB’s members-only website to have been involved in two or more questionable 2,679 the ISO ClaimSearch system. Now, members claims. This geographic dashboard highlights the Questionable Claim Submissions can access information on fraud trends, schemes name and location of providers so members can and crime developments from one system rather review their claims closely and more effectively net 122,935 than multiple databases; quickly assess claim potentially fraudulent ones. Cases Supported by Tactical Analysis Unit submissions for potential fraud indicators; and 74 make faster and more informed decisions as a Our data analytics speed isn’t limited to technology result. We moved more than 8,000 members-only systems. Our team’s Field Information Analysts Hotline Calls/Webtips Processed website users to ClaimSearch last year. are also fleet of foot. During 2017’s many natural 6,064 disasters and weather-related crises, their expertise Data Analytics Investigative Leads Sent Among the new features we developed on ISO was called upon by members and law enforcement to NICB Field Operations ClaimSearch is the NICB Secure FileXchange, agencies to help root out potential fraud. We which provides a secure location for members quickly embedded field analysts in on-site disaster 5,309 to exchange claim file materials with the NICB. centers to support response efforts, mitigate Tactical Products Produced in Replacing previously slower and less protected property loss damage claims, and help NICB Support of Investigations delivery methods, Secure FileXchange’s consistently members get ahead of the fraud storm front. 230 4 2017 KEY STATISTICS Given our role as the nation’s preeminent While the GIC proved highly successful following organization dedicated to fighting insurance crime, Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, as well as INVESTIGATIONS Member-Reported Loss Mitigation