Insurance Fraud for the Consumer

What is Insurance Fraud?

Insurance fraud artists steal billions of dollars each year from hardworking Americans. According to the Coalition on Insurance Fraud, it is estimated that each household pays approximately $1,000 extra in insurance premiums each year to offset the cost of insurance fraud.

Fraud takes many forms: completing a false document, making a false statement, an agent pockets a premium, selling unauthorized insurance, exaggerating a claim, making a fradulent claim. These actions are illegal and happen every day by organized criminals and everyday people alike.

Click HERE for an Insurance Fraud FAQ.

Consumers are encouraged to report insurance fraud activities to the Maryland Insurance Administration's Insurance Fraud Division. You need not give your name. Simply call 1-800-846-4069 or print and submit the attached form by mail or fax. Our fax number is: 410-347-5350. Consumers may also email fraud referrals by sending completed forms to fraud_referrals.mia@maryland.gov.

Insurance Fraud

Civil Fraud Orders

 
  • ​Click HERE to view Civil Fraud Orders and Statistics

Criminal Fraud Cases

 
  • ​Click HERE to view Criminal Fraud Cases and Statistics

Press Releases

Fraud Referral Form

 
  • Click HERE for referral form​

Insurance Fraud Alert for Older Adults

 

​Older Adults are often targets of insurance fraud, particularly in regard to life and health insurance. If you are an older adult, it’s a good idea to seek advice from your friends or family, or from a trusted accountant, attorney, or financial adviser before making an insurance purchase. You should also feel free to contact your local Senior Health Insurance Program (SHIP) counselor in your local Department of Aging. SHIP counselors are trained individuals that can help you answer questions about Medicare benefits, bills and rights. Click here for a list of SHIP counselor phone numbers, or visit the Maryland Department of Aging’s website​.

Be especially wary of a salesperson or telephone caller who:
 
  • Contacts you unsolicited. The salesperson probably has obtained your information through a mailing list. He or she may offer to provide you with a “benefits check-up” or may say that you were referred by a friend or neighbor. This information may also come to you in the mail. Not all agents who contact you are dishonest, but it’s a good idea to be cautious.
  • Uses high-pressure tactics. Common tactics include offering a “last-chance deal,” telling you there are “no monthly premiums,” appealing to your sympathy or emotions, or attempting to pressure you to sign forms without reviewing them with you carefully so that you fully understand them. Any decision to buy insurance should be made rationally, based on a sound assessment of your financial needs.
  • Urges you to cash in an existing annuity or life insurance policy to buy a new annuity, life insurance policy, or other investment. Generally, annuities and life insurance are worth more the longer you keep them. Changing to a new annuity or policy may cause you to lose money over the first three to five years. Also, many insurance companies will charge you a penalty if you withdraw money from your annuity early. Discuss the tax consequences of early withdrawal with your tax advisor.
  • Claims to be from Medicare, Social Security, or another government agency. Generally, the government will not contact you and try to sell you insurance. An agent or broker who claims to be associated with the government is breaking the law.
  • Wants to sell you a package policy that includes several different benefits, some of which duplicate a policy you already have or include coverage you do not need.
  • Wants you to pay cash or make your check/money order payable to him or her.
  • Wants you to sign forms that contain false or incomplete information or are blank.
  • Wants to fill out the forms for you. Make sure you read over and understand all of the forms you sign.

If you suspect Medicare fraud (for example, overbilling for services or billing for services you did not receive) or if you would like more information, you should contact the Maryland Senior Medicare Patrol at the Maryland Department of Aging at 800-243-3425 or 410-767-1100 or visit their website at http://aging.maryland.gov. If you suspect other types of insurance fraud, contact the Maryland Insurance Administration at 1-800-846-4069.

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October 2012
 
For a printer-friendly version of this report, click here.

Consumer Guide to Insurance Fraud

Insurance Fraud Public Meeting June 20, 2016

Insurance Fraud Unit

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Below are links to short videos on insurance fraud produced by the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud 

Bigger Screen TV

Boyfriend

Lost and Found

Hitting the Roof

Bad Day

Permanent Record 

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Help Stop Fraud in State Government

The Maryland General Assembly’s Office of Legislative Audits operates a toll-free fraud hotline to receive allegations of fraud and/or abuse of State government resources. Information reported to the hotline in the past has helped to eliminate certain fraudulent activities and protect State resources.

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