Clipping | Postado no dia: 20 May, 2022

Fraud continues to affect the insurance industry

A report released by the National Confederation of Insurance Companies (CNSeg) pointed out that, during the 1st half of 2021, 15.6% of claims registered in the country were classified as suspicious. According to the survey, the value of proven fraud in this period totals R$ 349.3 million. According to Anderson Peixoto, representative of the North and Northeast Insurance Union (Sindsegnne), fraud affects both the sector and the insured in a negative way.

“Every insurance product depends on complex calculations that aim to distribute the risks of the portfolio. Frauds drive the price of insurance up, as rates are calculated based on the frequency and severity of damage. As fraud increases, the price of the insurance premium is high, which is harmful to the consumer,” he explains.

SCAMMERS

Anderson highlights that, among the segments, the automobile sector is the most affected by crime. “There are gangs that forge the theft of the vehicle, then burn them in order to obtain the total loss from the insurance companies. But also ordinary people, for different reasons, commit crimes of fraud to try to solve the financial difficulties they are experiencing, for example”, he points out.

A record holder in fraud, claims in the automotive sector are also the fastest growing in the country, with a variation of around 11 percentage points between the first half of 2020 and 2021. In addition to this sector, Anderson points out the smartphone and life insurance segments as those who suffer the most from fraud.

“With regard to smartphones, for example, fraud attempts occur in theft coverage, and the device was not actually stolen”, he observes. To try to inhibit fraud, insurers use some protection mechanisms.

INVESTIGATION

“There is a cross-checking of data, in order to verify if a beneficiary is demanding multiple life insurance in relation to the same insured, for example. Technology is the insurance market’s greatest ally to prevent and combat fraud. There are some good softwares that help in this regard”, explains Anderson.

In addition, the Sindsegnne representative points out that the fraudster runs the risk of being typified in articles 171 for embezzlement and 179 for fraud of the Brazilian Penal Code, which have a prison sentence of 1 to 5 years and 6 months to 2 years, respectively.