Article Courtesy of The Insurance
Journal
Published October 1, 2017
Anti-fraud strike teams comprised of investigators
working for the Department of Financial Services’ Division of
Investigative and Forensic Services will soon be deployed across the
state in an effort to to protect Floridians from post-storm fraud,
according to a statement from the Florida Department of Financial
Services.
CFO Patronis announced the formation of three teams that will work in
areas heavily impacted by Hurricane Irma: South Florida, including
Miami-Dade and Monroe counties; Southwest Florida, including Lee and
Collier counties; and Central Florida, including Polk and Orange
counties.
Patronis is working directly with prosecutors housed within each of the
respective State Attorney’s Office, to “ensure that law-breakers are
prosecuted to the fullest extent of Florida law,” the statement says.
“The unfortunate truth is that some individuals will attempt to take
advantage of consumers during this high-stress time,” Patronis said. “To
combat fraudsters attempts to swindle Floridians, we’re putting boots on
the ground to ward off fraud and swiftly address any scams that may
arise.”
These strike teams are trained insurance fraud investigators with
specialized knowledge of property & casualty fraud and workers’
compensation fraud. In addition to identifying active fraud operations
in the field, investigators will work with each community to educate
homeowners, homeowners’ associations and local law enforcement about the
red flags of fraud.
Floridians can report suspicious behavior by calling the Department’s
anti-fraud hotline at 1-800-378-0445, or by contacting one of the
Department’s regional insurance fraud offices. To find a map of the
Department’s insurance fraud offices in Florida, click here. Callers are
asked to provide as many details as possible, and callers may request to
remain anonymous.
More information on the the Department of Financial Services’ anti-fraud
efforts is available on its
WEBSITE.
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