Fraud Facts

"The complexity of determining the cost of insurance fraud to the industry and our economy is compounded by the lack of industry wide cost-of-fraud data by line of business. However, we believe that insurance fraud may be costing nearly $120 billion a year for property and life – health insurers combined and as such, should not be ignored by any company."

The Quiet Catastrophe - Conning Insurance Research, 1996 Report on Insurance Fraud in the US

The Canadian Coalition Against Insurance Fraud estimates Insurance Fraud in Canada to be 10-15% of all private company Property and Casualty claims, totaling at least $2 billion annually.

Canadian Coalition Against Insurance Fraud - Personal Injury Insurance Fraud Study

  • Examined 4,066 closed accident benefit (AB) and bodily injury (BI) files with payments
  • Files from across the Canada, except British Columbia  
  • Private insurers annual AB and BI fraud cost estimated at 15 - 22% of all paid losses - 1% of AB &BI claims were staged or caused accident 
  • Premeditated or opportunistic fraud in 33.6% of all AB claims and 26.6% of all BI claims 
  • AB/BI fraud highest in Ontario 
  • Premeditated or opportunistic fraud more prevalent in major metropolitan areas

The Coalition asked the public:

    1. Is It Acceptable? - 5% said "yes"
    2. Is It Tempting? - 24% said "yes"
    3. Is It Easy? - 43% said "yes"
    4. Should The Problem Be Controlled? - 73% said "yes" or "definitely"
    5. Are Insurers Doing Enough? - 54% said "no" and 4% said "too much"
    6. Does Fraud Control Hurt Your Image? - 96% said "favourable" or "no difference"
    7. Do You Know Someone Who Did It? - 25% said "YES"!

How many of the 25% could be YOUR claimants or policyholders?