Established by the
legislature in 1976, The Division of Insurance Fraud is the
law enforcement arm of the
Department of Financial Services and is responsible for investigating
insurance fraud
Insurance fraud is any act committed to defraud an insurance process. It occurs when a claimant attempts to obtain some benefit or advantage they are not entitled to, or when an insurer knowingly denies some benefit that is due. According to the ...
; crimes associated with claim fraud,
insurance premium fraud,
workers' compensation claim fraud, workers’ compensation premium avoidance and diversions, insurer
insolvency fraud, unauthorized insurance entity fraud and
insurance agent
Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to hedge ...
crimes. The law enforcement detectives of the Division of Insurance Fraud also investigate
viatical application fraud,
defalcations of
escrow funds held in trust by
title insurance firms, and non-
Medicaid related
health care
Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. Health care is delivered by health profe ...
fraud.
According to a 2007-2008 report from the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud (CAIF), Florida's Division of Insurance Fraud leads the nation in the recovery of insurance fraud related losses through
court order
A court order is an official proclamation by a judge (or panel of judges) that defines the legal relationships between the parties to a hearing, a trial, an appeal or other court proceedings. Such ruling requires or authorizes the carrying out o ...
ed restitution. In Fiscal Year 2008/2009, cases presented for
prosecution by The Division of Insurance Fraud resulted in more than $34 million in court ordered restitution. According to the Coalition's 2007-2008 statistics,
Florida ranks in the top four (4) among all states’ fraud divisions and bureaus in key measurements of success:
*2nd in the number of arrests
*3rd in the number of cases presented for prosecution
*4th in the number of referrals
Florida's Division of Insurance Fraud continues to lead the fight against insurance fraud under the leadership of Colonel John Askins. During
Fiscal Year 2008/2009, investigative efforts by The Division of Insurance Fraud resulted in 982 cases presented for prosecution, 834 arrests, and 532 convictions. Also during Fiscal Year 2008/2009, The Division of Insurance Fraud received and reviewed 12,084 insurance fraud referrals and opened 1,971 cases for investigation.
[{{cite web, url=http://www.myfloridacfo.com/fraud/ , title=Florida Division of Insurance Fraud , publisher=Myfloridacfo.com , date= , accessdate=2013-06-09]
Notes
State law enforcement agencies of Florida
Insurance fraud
Insurance in the United States