The Los Angeles Police Department and the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) are warning motorists of a growing problem with unauthorized tow truck operators in the LA area.
These “bandit” tow truck operators monitor police radios and respond to accidents seeking to hook up vehicles and tow them to body shops or storage facilities where they are held hostage until the motorists and their insurance companies pay inflated towing, storage and possibly repair charges to get the vehicle back.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to: http://www.multivu.com/players/English/70506514-nicb-lapd-bandit-tow-truck-scams/
The Albuquerque, N.M. metropolitan statistical area (MSA) had the highest per capita auto theft rate in 2016 according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau’s (NICB) latest Hot Spots report.
Hot Spots examines vehicle theft data obtained from the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) for each of the nation’s MSAs. MSAs are designated by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and often include areas much larger than the cities for which they are named. For example, this year’s number one spot, the Albuquerque, N.M. MSA, includes all thefts within the entire county of Bernalillo, not just the city of Albuquerque.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/7665259-nicb-hot-spots-vehicle-theft-2016/
“Across the country we’re seeing an alarming number of what we call staged accidents,” said Joe Wehrle, NICB president and chief executive officer. “These are crashes that are made to look like accidents, but in reality are carefully orchestrated scenarios aimed at collecting medical and vehicle damage payments from insurers. The simple truth is they are expensive and dangerous. We are working with our member insurance companies and law enforcement partners to put the people that commit these crimes behind bars.”
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/nicb/43814/
The National Insurance Crime Bureau, the Insurance Information Institute and the National Consumers League have joined together to alert victims of Sandy to the potential for fraud by unscrupulous contractors. A 30-second public service announcement urges Sandy victims to be alert to potential fraud schemes by contractors who are only looking to take their money while doing shoddy repairs or no repairs at all. Victims are advised to avoid pressure tactics and contractors going door to door. “If you didn’t request it, reject it.” People who suspect that they’re being scammed can call 1-800-TEL-NICB to report it.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/53843-nicb-alert-to-sandy-victims-potential-for-fraud-by-contractors-psa
The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) today warned drivers in the Las Vegas area to be on the lookout for criminals targeting trucks in a deliberate attempt to cause an accident for the purpose of collecting insurance money.
As many as 100 suspected staged accidents along the I-15 corridor through the metropolitan Las Vegas area have been reported to NICB in the past 12-18 months and as many as 25 of those accidents targeted big rig trucks. The NICB is working closely with its member companies, the Nevada Insurance Council, the Nevada Highway Patrol, and the Nevada Attorney General’s Office to track down the organizers behind these schemes.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/53844-nicb-staged-accidents-targeting-big-rig-trucks-could-turn-deadly
The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) today issued a warning to the public about an organized scam involving sales of vehicles through the popular online market place, Craigslist.
Working with law enforcement agencies in the Chicago area and across the Midwest, NICB has identified nearly 100 instances of sales of vehicles that went sour when phony bank checks were used to pay for the vehicle.
“These scams are well organized and have all the appearances of being legitimate,” said NICB President and CEO Joe Wehrle. “But in the end, the criminal gets the car and the sellers or their financial institutions are left on the hook for thousands of dollars still owed on the car.”
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7523151-nicb-craigslist-auto-sales-scam/
The recent flooding in Texas means the end of the road for an estimated 7,000 to 10,000 insured vehicles that suffered water damage.
That’s the current estimate from Copart, a company that works on behalf of insurers to handle the vehicles damaged in catastrophes. About 2,500 cars, trucks, motorcycles, RVs and other vehicles have already been towed to one of Copart’s locations, a 200-acre processing facility in Houston.
After a disaster, the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) works with its member companies, law enforcement and companies like Copart to identify the vehicles that have had an insurance claim filed and to process them for sale. All of the cars will be retitled with the Department of Motor Vehicles and the new title will indicate the fact that the vehicle has been flood damaged. Most of the vehicles are sold to parts companies who will dismantle them and re-sell usable parts that were not damaged by the flooding.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7523152-nicb-texas-floods/
While car thefts are declining across the country, the thefts of some parts and accessories are proving to be a lucrative business for professional thieves.
In the Detroit area, it’s become a huge problem that’s costing consumers, insurance companies, car dealers and car rental companies.
“We hear all this good news about auto theft being down in Michigan, but unfortunately, what’s replaced that is component theft,” said Terri Miller, executive director of Help Eliminate Auto Thefts (HEAT). “Because it’s harder to steal an entire vehicle these days, they’re stealing the parts. The tires and rims are not marked and they are very, very marketable.”
To view the Multimedia News Release, go http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7523153-nicb-detroit-wheel-tire-theft/
Holiday car thieves had their busiest day in 2014 on, ironically, Labor Day, stealing 2,200 vehicles according to new data released today by the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB). NICB’s 2014 Annual Holiday Vehicle Theft Report analyzes data from the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), which showed a total of 695,246 vehicle thefts for the year.
After Labor Day, New Year’s Day was the next most active holiday with 2,011 thefts. Halloween came in third with 2,010 thefts followed by Memorial Day with 1,933 thefts. Independence Day rounds out the top five holidays for 2014 with 1,877 thefts.
The holidays with the fewest thefts in 2014 were Christmas Day with 1,225 thefts and Thanksgiving with 1,384 thefts.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7523155-nicb-holiday-vehicle-theft-report/
Unprecedented planning by state and local authorities, law enforcement and the insurance industry established what is being called a national model for protecting the public from fly-by-night contractors in the aftermath of a natural disaster.
According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), preparation in advance of the F-5 tornado that devastated the city of Moore and surrounding areas in May 2013 resulted in a well-coordinated effort to ensure that roofers and other contractors who swarmed into the area in the hours and days after the storm were properly licensed, insured and authorized to work in the area.
Local police assisted the Oklahoma Insurance Department Fraud Unit in patrolling the area and keeping suspected fraudulent out-of-state contractors from doing work unless all protocols were followed.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7665251-nicb-limited-fraud-following-2013-moore-tornado/
Flooded vehicles have finally stopped arriving at the Royal Purple Raceway east of Houston. Some 23,000 now await processing and retitling to be auctioned off for parts or to be scrapped. That is just one of several insurance industry salvage locations where more than 422,000 insured vehicles damaged by Harvey have been taken for processing. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), these totals surpass the number of claims that resulted from Hurricane Katrina (approx. 300,000) and from Superstorm Sandy (250,500).
In addition, more than 215,000 claims have been filed following damage to vehicles from Hurricane Irma in Florida.
These insured vehicles will be processed and rebranded with a salvage title and sold at online auctions to dismantlers who will save usable parts or have the vehicle crushed and sold for scrap.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/76652512-nicb-reports-record-number-of-hurricane-flooded-vehicles/
