Philadelphia Sees Major Increase in Raw Number of Bogus Insurance and Injury Claims
According to a recent study from the National Insurance Crimes Bureau (NICB), Philadelphia and other cities are trending to reveal more slip and fall cases and premises liability cases targeting businesses, and henceforth, the insurance companies are scrutinizing these claims more carefully for potential fraud. Analysis of questionable slip and fall and premises liability cases showed a 57% increase in the number of fraud referrals for investigation over the past two and a half years.
At the Pennsylvania premises liability law firm of Reiff & Bily, we are well aware that many individuals will try to beat the system with a fraudulent claim. Insurance fraud is a serious criminal offense with stiff punishment if the perpetrator is proven guilty. This is the reason that we screen each case so carefully and perform a diligent background check on every client that comes into our office. We recognize that most people have legitimate accidents in stores and businesses and we take the prevention of insurance fraud claims very seriously.
I have met many lawyers who fail to carefully investigate their case and will settle a case for nuisance value making a small win/win for the lawyer and client. Many times insurance companies or businesses will pay a small claim to avoid the cost of litigation. Often after a case is settled, a fraud investigation continues and if it can be proven that the recipient knowingly or intentionally defrauded any insurer or self-insured, they may be prosecuted. However, any responsible and experienced personal injury lawyer or premises liability lawyer will recognize that legitimate slip and fall cases are often very difficult to prove and will not commit the firm’s resources without proper analysis or background information.
At the Philadelphia premise liability and slip and fall accident law firm of Reiff & Bily, we offer a no fee, no recovery guarantee which means we don’t get paid unless there is a successful recovery, and therefore, we must be extremely selective in the cases we accept.
