(NAPSA)—Whatif someonetold you that, each year, your family pays $200 to $300 more than necessary for insurance—all because insurance fraud is so rampant? Would you be mad enoughto do something about it? You should be. Auto insurance rates are based on each company’s expected cost of doing business, which includes the cost of paying claims—including fraudulent ones. And fraudulent claims only drive up the cost of insurancefor all consumers. According to a recent study conducted by Roper/ASW for the Insurance Resource Council, one- third of Americansbelieveit’s okay to exaggerate insurance claimsto make up for a policy deductible. And, one in five respondents agreed that it is acceptable to increase the amountof a claim to make up for insurance premiums paid when no claim was made. “Consumers should be outraged by insurance fraud because according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), people involved in fraud are stealing more than $30 billion a year from organizations and the American public,” said Ray Albertini, director of special investigations for the Progressive group of insurance compa- nies, the country’s third largest auto insurer. “People need to be awareof fraud, be willing to report it when they suspect it and bewilling to get involved to stopit.” If you don’t think you can do something about insurance fraud, think again. If you know someone who is committing insurance fraud, call the NICB at 1-800TEL-NICB (1-800-835-6422). Callers can remain anonymous when providing information. “Insurance companies like Progressive aggressively fight fraud The high cost of auto insurance is, in part, fueled by the need to pay for fraudulent claims. and prosecute those involved, helping to drive those costs out of the system,” Albertini said. “But we need everyone's help.” The Progressive group of insurance companies is committed to fighting auto insurance fraud and employs a team of special investigators throughout the country that regularly work with law enforcement agencies, the NCIB, each state’s Department of Insurance and other authorities as needed, to help combat auto theft and auto insurance fraud, which in turn helps keep insurancerates downfor all consumers. “We want to send a clear message that Progressive aggressively investigates and prosecutes people who commit fraud, and works to root out this kind of criminal behavior. People who steal and commit fraud drive up the cost of auto insurance for everyone, and we stand strongly behind protecting people’s property and working to keep the cost of auto insurance down,” said Albertini. For more information, visit www.progressive.com.
