Fraud Prevention Day In New York Announced

New York State, New York City and 29 other municipalities have proclaimed June 27 Insurance Fraud Prevention Day, the New York Alliance Against Insurance Fraud announced.

NYAAIF said the proclamations were in support of its ongoing commitment to educating New Yorkers about the costs and consequences of insurance fraud and ways in which individuals can help combat it.

“Insurance Fraud Prevention Day provides an excellent platform to create greater recognition of the fraud problem here, urge citizens to learn more about it, and learn how not to become entrapped in an insurance fraud scheme,” said NYAAIF Chairman Tom Sullivan.

Insurance Fraud Prevention Day, which piloted in New York City in 2006, is one of several programs the Alliance coordinates to educate New Yorkers about insurance fraud.

The Alliance said the main component of its work to date has been the creation of public awareness media campaigns that focus on the message: Insurance fraud is a problem, consumers are paying handsomely for it, and consumers can do something to stop it.

All materials and multimedia buys are designed to empower consumers to take action–specifically to report incidents of fraud.

The campaign encourages N.Y. residents to call 1-888-FRAUD-NY to report fraud or visit a newly created, interactive Web site, www.fraudny.com, to obtain information. The tagline of the campaign–Insurance fraud: the crime you pay for–highlights the cost to consumers of this pervasive problem, the Alliance said.

The group said it has also implemented a comprehensive public relations program and will shortly be releasing data gathered from a multimarket insurance fraud attitude survey.

The New York Alliance Against Insurance Fraud, established in January 2000, comprises more than 100 members, works in cooperation with the New York Insurance Department Fraud Bureau, the Insurance Department, Governor's Office and N.Y. State Legislature and is managed by the New York Insurance Association.