Large searches in Berlin: Police taps insurance fraud!

Large searches in Berlin: Police taps insurance fraud!

On Thursday morning, the Berlin police mobilized around 35 civil servants in a large -scale deployment to enforce search resolutions on suspicion of insurance fraud. This campaign, which was carried out on behalf of the Berlin public prosecutor's office, affects a total of 58 suspected cases and took place at seven different locations in the districts of Friedrichshain, Neukölln, Rummelburg and Wedding as well as in the Heidering correction facility.

A group of four accused, consisting of a 31-year-old woman and three men aged 33, 44 and 45, is the focus of this investigation. Interestingly, one of the suspects, an insurance broker, is already detained for violations of the Narcotics Act. The accused are said to have taken out household and bicycle theft insurance since November 2022, whereby they did not report existing, high-quality bicycles with a value between 4,000 and 18,000 euros as stolen. The total damage caused is estimated at around 310,000 euros.

But how does insurance fraud accept such a large dimension? According to the law firm, it is estimated that approximately every tenth damage report has to result in fraud. In the industry, this leads to damage to billions of damage annually. Insurance have reacted to this and employ special departments for examining damage reports that have inconsistencies.

indicators and prevention measures

The investigators rely on certain evidence that can indicate fraud, such as the frequent connection of the people involved or the lack of witnesses. In order to find out this abuse, insurers rely on various review measures. This includes the subsequent claim of further documents, the use of independent experts or the involvement of the police and public prosecutor. The law firm emphasizes that the evidence can only justify an initial suspicion - the total circumstances are crucial and the presumption of innocence is a basic obligation.

fighting in the insurance industry

Another report emphasizes the need for the insurance industry to invest in solutions for fraud detection and prevention. Many companies have already introduced training courses for their employees to better train them in recognizing fraud cases. Unfortunately, 43 % of the respondents do not use any special platforms to prevent fraud. However, procurement or development of such platforms can be expensive and requires considerable technical resources, which many companies deter.

Overall, it should be noted: The fight against the insurance fraud is far from winning. With the use of modern technologies and preventive training courses, however, the industry could be better prepared for this challenge. The case in Berlin is another example of how important it is to remain vigilant. According to the City Report , such procedures could help reduce the number of unreported cases in cases of fraud and to strengthen confidence in the insurance industry.

In this context, the law firm clear that preventive measures and early detection are decisive in order to prevent such machinations in the future. The Left report suggests that an investment in fraud control could help insurers to act effectively in this area.