N.H. Insurance Dept.'s Fraud Unit Refers Record Number of Fraud Cases for Prosecution in FY 2022

CONCORD, New Hampshire, July 14 (TNSres) -- The New Hampshire Department of Insurance issued the following news release:

The New Hampshire Insurance Department (NHID) reports that as of the end of Fiscal Year 2022, the NHID Fraud Unit has referred 22 cases of suspected insurance fraud - a new record high - for prosecution by state and federal authorities.

The fraudulent claims prosecuted during FY 2022 are comprised of two Workers' Compensation claims, one Homeowners Insurance claim, one Disability Insurance claim, and 18 Auto Insurance claims. These 22 cases represent nearly $283,000 in fraudulent claims.

"Insurance fraud is not a victimless crime," said Christopher Nicolopoulos, Commissioner of the New Hampshire Insurance Department. "Insurance fraud hurts everyone by driving up costs for all consumers and undermining confidence in the marketplace."

Pursuant to New Hampshire's statutes, all licensed insurers and producers in New Hampshire must report to NHID all suspected instances of insurance fraud or insurance-related criminal activity.

Each month, the NHID Fraud Unit receives an average of 25 fraud referrals, of which 12% result in opened cases. In Fiscal Year 2022, there were 298 fraud referrals resulting in 37 opened cases.

"Insurance fraud is a serious crime, and New Hampshire prosecutes cases of fraud over $1,000 as felonies. With the rising costs of automobile repairs, for example, the threshold for a felony insurance fraud charge is very low," said Brendhan Harris, Fraud Investigator-In-Charge at the NHID. "Working together with state and federal prosecutors, we can send a message to fraudsters letting them know we have zero tolerance for insurance fraud in New Hampshire." Anyone seeking to report insurance fraud to NHID may use the form on NHID's website, located at https://business.nh.gov/NCharge/Insurance/default.asp?form_name=FraudReferral.

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Original text here: https://www.nh.gov/insurance/media/pr/2022/documents/20220712-fraud-fye-info.pdf