People often wonder what an insurance investigator is and exactly what it is that they actually do. An insurance investigator is usually an individual hired by an insurance firm to determine whether or not a particular insurance claim is actually true and relevant. Some insurance companies like to hire outside investigators on a case by case basis because tey do not investigate every single insurance claim, only when they suspect that the claim may in fact be suspect.
Other insurance companies prefer to employ permanent insurance investigators because they conduct several different types of investigations including investigations that form part of general audits, in which an insurance company investigates a cross section of cases to ensure that there is not a great deal of insurance fraud being committed, and specific cases, where the insurance company believes the insurance claim to be potentially fraudulent. Most insurance companies hire quite a high number of insurance investigators, with some large conglomerates employing thousands of insurance investigation specialists.
Insurance investigators that are actually private investigators are contracted in as freelance advisors and consultants, as and when an insurance company needs their services. The insurance investigators that are actually part of the insurance firm are full time employees and enjoy the same benefits and salary as other employees of the insurance company.
One of the main uses of insurance investigators is in the disability claim investigations. Disability insurance features some of the highest incidents of insurance fraud with thousands of disability claims being exaggerated or even false. In these cases the insurance investigator will actually follow and observe the disability claimant very closely to determine whether or not they are actually making a valid claim or whether they are exaggerating.
This is not the only function of insurance investigators services. Insurance investigators are also used extensively in investigating auto insurance claims and determining who is responsible. Insurance investigators also investigate claims of theft, following any paper trails available and determining whether a car was actually stolen or was just sold and the owner was attempting to get even more money in.
