(BPT) - The last thing anyone wants is for his or her insurance rates to increase. Most policyholders would be surprised to know it’s the last thing their insurance company wants to happen, too. That's why most major carriers have a department of investigators dedicated to stopping one of the primary causes of rate hikes: insurance fraud. In fact, fraudulent insurance claims are the second most costly white-collar crime in America – to the tune of $40 billion annually.

“Each year the average U.S. family is hit with $400 to $700 in increased premiums due to phony insurance payouts,” says Dan Bales, national director of special investigations for Mercury Insurance, which established a Special Investigations Unit in 1978 to help fight insurance fraud. “The goal of the SIU is to limit these payments and catch the criminals responsible. 

“Think of us as the CSI of the insurance industry. We square off against mobsters, organized crime, dirty lawyers and doctors, white-collar con artists and even the occasional celebrity to help keep down costs for our policyholders.”