Pennsylvania Agency Extends Anti-Fraud Public Awareness Campaign

Billboards showing a cramped prison cell with an unsavory-looking toilet, along with a caption that reads: "Commit Insurance Fraud. Enjoy Luxury Living," were part of the public awareness campaign created by the Pennsylvania Insurance Fraud Prevention Authority (IFPA) in 1997. The IFPA's campaign has been effective, resulting in measurable differences in public attitudes toward insurance fraud.

Today, the IFPA rolls out a fresh media campaign to keep Pennsylvanians aware of the cost and consequence of insurance fraud. The campaign starts with a new billboard and radio spot that continue to hammer on the theme "Fraud-the crime you pay for."

The campaign's new 60-second radio spot, "Fender Bender Felony," describes an insurance cheat who has a legitimate auto accident but then tacks on prior damage to his claim. The new billboard offers a stark, clear message to Pennsylvanians: "They Cheat. You Pay. Insurance Fraud Made Simple."

Roy Miller, Executive Director of IFPA, said the group's public awareness campaign is an important element in the fight against insurance fraud. "Insurance fraud adds $200 a year to the insurance premiums paid by the average Pennsylvanian," Miller said. "Our initial campaign introduced the idea that all Pennsylvanians pay for insurance fraud, and that criminals committing fraud will be pursued and prosecuted. With our new campaign, we intend to push that message further."

The new billboard will appear today in several markets, including Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, York, Lancaster, Reading, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Allentown and Erie.

The new radio spot will also air statewide beginning today. Two new television spots will begin airing in early August.

According to independent research, the campaign has changed Pennsylvanians' attitudes about fraudulent activity in several types of insurance, including:

• Workers' compensation: In 1997, 25.3 percent of Pennsylvanians said they would be willing to receive bogus workers' comp payments. By 1999, that number had dropped to 15.9 percent.
  
• Auto insurance: The number of Pennsylvanians willing to inflate an auto accident claim fell dramatically, from 12.5 percent in 1997 to just 5.5 percent 1999.
  
• Medical insurance: In 1999, nearly 80 percent of Pennsylvanians said they review their medical bills for accuracy. In 1997, that number was just 70.5 percent.

There's also anecdotal evidence that the campaign works. Earlier this year, one York, Pa.-area woman filed a false property damage claim. But after seeing an IFPA-sponsored "Enjoy Luxury Living" billboard, she withdrew her claim and was subsequently arrested and convicted of insurance fraud – a felony crime in Pennsylvania.

The Pennsylvania Insurance Fraud Prevention Authority was created by the Pennsylvania State Legislature in late 1994. Funding comes from assessments on insurance companies that write policies in the state. No taxpayer dollars are used.

Edited by Dave Willis