Part 5: NICB and Hurricane Katrina: A 10-Year Retrospective

Over 300,000 Vehicles Damaged, Where are They Now?

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Aug 28, 2015, 06:00 ET

DES PLAINES, Ill., Aug. 28, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Each day this week the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) is releasing segments of a five-part documentary video that provides first-hand recollections of NICB employees and law enforcement personnel as they reflect on their roles in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

In today's final installment, see how NICB's "Katrina Flood Vehicle Database" grew from an internal inventory and claims processing tool into VINCheck—the nation's first free vehicle history and consumer protection service based on insurance claims.

From January 1, 2009, through December 31, 2014, more than 5 million VINs have been searched through VINCheck. From those queries, 48,442 theft records and 507,110 salvage records were identified meaning that VINCheck may have saved thousands of innocent consumers from experiencing significant financial losses—or worse.

Ten years after Katrina, VINCheck remains the most visited page on the NICB.org website.

Video release schedule:
Monday, Part 1: Multistate Devastation
Tuesday, Part 2: NICB's Initial Response
Wednesday, Part 3: Vehicle Identification
Thursday, Part 4: Coast to Coast Impact
Friday, Part 5: Birth of VINCheck^SM

Anyone with information concerning insurance fraud or vehicle theft can report it anonymously by calling toll-free 800-TEL-NICB (800-835-6422), texting keyword "fraud" to TIP411 (847411) or submitting a form on our website. Or, download the NICB Fraud Tips app on your iPhone or Android device.

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, training, legislative advocacy and public awareness. The NICB is supported by more than 1,100 property and casualty insurance companies and self-insured organizations. NICB member companies wrote over $395 billion in insurance premiums in 2014, or more than 78 percent of the nation's property/casualty insurance. That includes more than 93 percent ($176 billion) of the nation's personal auto insurance. To learn more visit www.nicb.org.

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SOURCE National Insurance Crime Bureau