Florida Sweep Nabs 19 Suspects in Staged Accident Fraud

Florida officials say a statewide sweep of staged accident scammers last week resulted in the arrest of 19 suspects, including arrests in Ft. Myers, Miami, Orlando, Pensacola, Tampa and West Palm Beach

Florida CFO Alex Sink said that since July 2009, investigators have arrested 259 people for faking accident medical injuries and personal injury protection (PIP) fraud, culminating in 156 convictions.

According to statistics from the Division of Insurance Fraud (DIF), PIP fraud is the most reported type of fraud, accounting for 30 percent of all referrals received. DIF has seven PIP fraud squads dedicated solely to investigating PIP fraud across the state.

The state says insurance fraud costs the average Florida family as much as $1,400 a year– much of it due to staged accidents– and the cost is rising.