The majority of Americans say that insurance fraud occurs because people believe that they can get away with it, according to a recent survey by Accenture.

“The findings of this year's survey indicate that the insurance industry still is increasingly vulnerable to fraud,” said Michael A. Lucarini, a partner in Accentor's Insurance practice. “Insurance companies need to better equip themselves with integrated tools and technologies that help prevent and combat fraud. Leading insurers are implementing web-based technology that can help re-evaluate claims for fraud detection throughout the claim and alert the appropriate people when thresholds are exceeded or certain parties are involved.”

In the second annual survey, the 56 percent of respondents who said that people believe that they can get away with an increase of 49 over last year's figure. Nearly one-third (32 percent) said that people who commit insurance fraud do so because they believe that they pay too much for insurance, while 24 percent said that people see insurance fraud as a way of making up for their deductibles.

In addition, 45 percent of the respondents who knew someone who had submitted a claim for an amount higher than the actual loss said that a third party, such as a doctor, auto body shop, or insurance appraiser, had been involved in the fraud.

On a more positive note, 49 percent of respondents believe that people are discouraged from committing fraud as a result of the increase in conviction rates, severe punishments, and media coverage of high-profile corporate scandals. The economy is seen as playing a role in insurance fraud, with 56 percent agreeing that, as the economy picks up, people are less likely to commit fraud. Almost all of the respondents (95 percent) said that it is important for insurance companies to investigate potentially fraudulent claims. The primary reason, cited by 63 percent of respondents, was to control premium expenses.

Special Reports /

Getting Away With Fraud

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