Manitoba Public Insurance and its ratepayers saved $31.6 million from 2012 to 2015 thanks to successful anti-fraud efforts by the public auto insurer.
March is Fraud Prevention Month and this year marks the 13th anniversary of the annual education and awareness campaign that encourages Canadians to recognize, reject and report fraud.
Manitoba Public Insurance fully supports this initiative and is dedicated to keeping automobile insurance rates as low as possible by combating insurance fraud. Suspicious claims are handled by Manitoba Public Insurance’s Special Investigation Unit, which is comprised primarily of retired police officers who investigate about 3,000 claims yearly.
“These financial savings ($31.6 million in four years), is based on a reconciliation of money recovered and fraudulent claims denied,” said Ward Keith, vice-president, Loss Prevention and Communications, Manitoba Public Insurance. “These fraud savings directly benefit insurance rate payers, and result from a dedicated focus on investigating potential fraudulent claims that may involve vehicle fires, hit and run claims or staged collisions.”
In addition to the efforts of its investigators, Manitoba Public Insurance also has an excellent working relationship with police agencies. The Corporation also operates a dedicated TIPS Line, which is a valuable source of information for SIU investigators.
“The bottom line is that insurance fraud costs everyone so we encourage all Manitobans to come forward through our TIPS Line to report suspected auto insurance fraud and speak out against this kind of illegal behaviour,” said Keith. “All calls are anonymous.”
Manitoba Public Insurance’s TIPS Line is: 204-985-8477 or toll-free 1-877-985-8477.
Keith explained that Manitoba Public Insurance continually reviews its anti-fraud strategies, specifically aimed at keeping step with fraudsters.
Insurance fraud – automobile, home or health care – costs Canadians more than $3 billion a year in premiums, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada. Organizations around the world lose an estimated five per cent of their annual revenues to fraud, according to a survey of fraud experts conducted by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE).
