Citizens Launches Campaign to Stop Fraud and Abuse in Florida
Citizens Property Insurance Corp. has launched a multi-faceted education campaign in an attempt to improve customer claims handling while taking steps to combat what it has called a disturbing increase of fraud and abuse that threatens to drive up premiums across the state, the company said in a statement.
The Call Citizens First campaign will focus on educating policyholders and agents about contacting Citizens immediately after any type of loss to their property while reminding customers that fraud, abuse and other factors can increase property insurance costs.
The campaign, which kicked off at the beginning of the year, will include policyholder mailings, social media messages and additional public outreach.
In recent years, the company said it has seen a flood of water-damage claims and associated litigation, particularly in Miami-Dade County, where water-loss claims now account for more than half of every premium dollar collected. Citizens said the issue, though concentrated in South Florida, is spreading throughout the state.
In 2014, Citizens said about 40 percent of policyholders filing water-loss claims in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties hired third parties such as attorneys and/or public adjusters even before filing an initial claim with the insurer, and they often signed agreements assigning benefits to the third party.
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