NICB Combats Post-Disaster Contractor Fraud with New PSA

News provided by

Oct 17, 2019, 06:00 ET

DES PLAINES, Ill., Oct. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) is issuing a new public service announcement (PSA) warning consumers about the dangers of unscrupulous contractors looking for ways to make a quick buck off homeowners.

Click here to watch the 60-second PSA

Click here to watch the 30-second PSA

Click here to download an infographic

While insurers pay billions of dollars a year to cover losses, sometimes those payments end up in the pockets of unscrupulous contractors. Those contractors, some who travel the country chasing storms, often solicit business door-to-door and prey on the elderly or other vulnerable victims to try to get them to sign a contract and hand over a payment. Then, they are never seen again, or fail to do the repairs as promised. As we are still in hurricane season and beginning the fall tornado season, we encourage policyholders to contact their insurance company or agent before hiring a contractor to do work.

These PSAs are available for use by media outlets and websites. There is both a 30 and 60-second version available in English and Spanish. These, along with our other PSAs, can be found on both our website and YouTube channel.

For anyone who needs access to raw files or audio files, please complete our media request form.

If you'd like to learn more about contractor fraud, visit our webpage on how to avoid being a victim twice.

REPORT FRAUD: Anyone with information concerning insurance fraud or vehicle theft can report it anonymously by calling toll-free 800.TEL.NICB (800.835.6422) or submitting a form on our website.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL INSURANCE CRIME BUREAU: Headquartered in Des Plaines, Ill., the NICB is the nation's leading not-for-profit organization exclusively dedicated to preventing, detecting and defeating insurance fraud and vehicle theft through data analytics, investigations, learning and development, government affairs and public awareness. The NICB is supported by more than 1,300 property and casualty insurance companies and self-insured organizations. NICB member companies wrote over $496 billion in insurance premiums in 2018, or more than 81 percent of the nation's property/casualty insurance. That includes more than 92 percent ($254 billion) of the nation's personal auto insurance. To learn more visit www.nicb.org.

Get the latest on our social pages:
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
YouTube
Instagram
Snapchat
Blog

SOURCE National Insurance Crime Bureau