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A new statewide effort is underway to combat insurance fraud, as Governor Hochul announced a partnership between the New York State Police and the New York State Department of Financial Services.
The initiative aims to strengthen how fraud is detected, investigated, and prosecuted across New York by providing specialized training to law enforcement agencies statewide.
According to the governor, approximately 250 law enforcement personnel—including investigators and uniformed troopers—will take part in the enhanced training. The program will also include collaboration with local police departments and prosecutors, with instruction led by experts from the Department of Financial Services.
“This symposium will serve to enhance our statewide investigatory capacity to identify and investigate these types of crimes, often perpetrated against the most vulnerable of New Yorkers,” said Steven G. James. “By providing enhanced awareness and training to our members in the field, we will foster more effective partnerships with the DFS and local authorities, leading to more complex investigations, increased arrests, and a measurable reduction in fraud.”
The training symposium is scheduled for July at the New York State Police Academy. It will focus on financial crimes and several forms of insurance fraud, including auto insurance schemes, deceptive contractor practices, and elder fraud cases.
Officials say the sessions will include instruction on insurance fraud laws, real-world case studies, and hands-on investigative techniques led by specialized units within the State Police.
The effort comes as insurance fraud continues to rise in New York. State officials note that residents pay some of the highest car insurance premiums in the country—averaging more than $4,000 annually, significantly above the national average. Authorities attribute much of that cost to fraudulent activity and costly litigation.
Data from the Department of Financial Services shows a sharp increase in suspected motor vehicle insurance fraud cases. In 2025, insurers reported 43,811 suspected incidents to the state’s Insurance Frauds Bureau, up from 24,238 in 2020—an increase of roughly 80 percent over five years.
State leaders say the new partnership and training initiative are designed to reverse that trend, improve enforcement, and ultimately reduce costs for consumers.
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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.