Study Shows Consumer Willingness to Edit Claim Images

A surprisingly large share of consumers are willing to digitally alter claim photos or documents, a new survey shows.

More than one-third (36%) said they would consider making an edit, with younger adults leading the way— 55% of Gen Z and 49% of millennials said they would consider editing, compared with 28% of Gen X and 12% of baby boomers.

Insurers that participated on the survey reported a rise in manipulated media, with nearly all (98%) saying AI‑powered editing tools are fueling an increase in digital insurance fraud.

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The findings come from the Verisk State of Insurance Fraud study, which draws on national surveys of 1,000 U.S. consumers and 300 insurance claims professionals conducted from December 2025 through January 2026.

Consumers also view several types of edits as acceptable: 52% said adjusting brightness or contrast is acceptable, and 41% said flipping, rotating or repairing a blurry photo is acceptable. Thirty-nine percent said cropping out background elements is acceptable. Fifteen percent said exaggerating damage is acceptable, and 13% said creating a photo of damage that never occurred is acceptable.

It may be that many consumers do not understand the implications of these alterations. According to the survey, 53% percent of insurers believe at least half of policyholders who alter claim media do not realize their edits may qualify as fraud.

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Manipulated media is already widespread in claims. Nearly all insurer respondents (99%) insurers said they have encountered manipulated or AI-altered documentation, and 98% said AI tools are driving a rise in digital insurance fraud.More than three-fourths (76%) said manipulated submissions have become more sophisticated in the past year.

Carriers are using a mix of tools to respond: 65% use automated third-party AI detection tools, 50% use internally developed AI tools and 44% rely on manual review. Confidence varies by fraud type, with 58% saying they are very confident in detecting edits to real photos or videos, but only 32% saying they are very confident in identifying deepfakes. Forty-three percent feel very confident assessing authenticity at scale.

Insurers also cite several structural challenges. Well over one-third (39%) pointed to insufficient integration between fraud tools and claims systems, and 38% said their detection tools miss too many fraudulent or altered claim images and documents. Another 35% reported false positives, while 34% cited difficulty keeping up with evolving fraud techniques and 34% also discussed a lack of cross

More than half of carriers (54%) have increasing internal training, 51% have established new guidance for adjusters, are 48% conducting internal audits and 47% are investing in new fraud detection technology.

Consumers also expect AI-driven fraud to affect costs. Sixty-nine percent of consumers believe fraudulent claims will increase premiums for all policyholders. Their top concern (42%) is higher premiums for honest customers.

Insurers anticipate similar pressures over the next three to five years:

48% expect higher adoption of technology solutions
48% expect more regulatory consistency in documentation
45% expect more stringent proof-of-loss requirements
36% expect greater operational strain on claims teams
35% expect higher premiums for consumers.