NEW YORK STATE (WRGB) — A new partnership is cracking down on insurance fraud across New York State.
The partnership is between New York State Police and the Department of Financial Services, with a primary focus on auto insurance fraud.
MORE: Gov. Hochul announces plan to curb insurance fraud and reform liability to lower rates
“New Yorkers are paying the highest car insurance in the nation — over $4,000, about $1,500 more than many of our neighbors,” said Governor Kathy Hochul.
Hochul says the cost of insurance fraud is ultimately passed down to motorists.
“We’re talking about really sophisticated criminal enterprises, networks of corrupt drivers, lawyers, medical providers who are staging elaborate crashes in order to have jackpot payouts.”
Under the new program, more than 250 state and local law enforcement personnel will receive specialized training to detect and investigate insurance fraud.
Budget reforms to increase penalties, lower prosecution thresholds, and close legal loopholes are also part of the governor’s plan.
“All this will result, I believe, in building stronger cases, leading to more arrests and shutting this down,” Hochul said.
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Based in New York, Stephen Freeman is a Senior Editor at Trending Insurance News. Previously he has worked for Forbes and The Huffington Post. Steven is a graduate of Risk Management at the University of New York.