Television shows like Law & Order, Blue Bloods, NCIS, Hawaii Five-0 and many more dramatize the life and work of law enforcement. While the insurance industry isn't thought to be responsible for law enforcement, insurance carriers generally police their insurance contracts to help ensure that they pay the appropriate amounts on claims. Occasionally, that requires an investigation, and sometimes it means working with law enforcement. Most property-casualty insurance companies have a special investigations unit (SIU) that is an adjunct to the claims department. The slideshow above provides a look at insurance fraud and the role of an SIU investigator. Cassandra "Cassie" Lee is senior field investigator in Westfield's special investigations unit. A former claims adjuster, she also has insurance agency experience. She holds the Certified Claims Professional designation from the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance and the Certified Insurance Fraud Investigator designation from the International Association of Special Investigation Units. She earned a bachelor's degree from Anderson University in criminal justice, sociology, and a minor in family science. See also: |

• Who commits insurance fraud and why
• Contractor fraud can account for as much as 10% of NAT CAT losses
• Inside the mind of fraudsters: What were they thinking?