Jeff Atwater Heart Insurance Companies

Florida CFO Jeff Atwater has formed a PIP Fraud Commission. Here is the kicker: Atwater claims that pip fraud cases increased by 290 percent in Tampa in 2009.

PIP fraud accounts for more than 40 percent of Florida's annual insurance fraud referrals and according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, Florida has three of the top five cities nationally for questionable claims associated with staged accidents - Tampa, Miami and Orlando. In 2009, Tampa experienced a 290-percent increase in questionable claims related to staged or caused accidents.

The study was done by the very official sounding National Insurance Crime Bureau. One would think that the NICB is a law enforcement or government agency. The truth is it is an organization was created by the insurance industry. The United Automobile Insurance Company blog published the findings of the NICB report.

Tampa had 487 questionable claims related to staged or caused accidents in 2009, a 290 percent increase over the previous year.

Miami had 258 questionable claims, an 11 percent increase year to year.

Orlando had 240 questionable claims, a 24 percent increase.

South Florida was a hotbed of staged crashes, according to the bureau. While the Miami and Hialeah areas continue to show increased activity, criminal have moved north and Tampa Bay is now the center of this crime trend.

Apparently, there are criminal masterminds that buy cars, insurance and then stage crashes so they can fight insurance companies over the next few years for personal injury payments. What a brilliant plan!

We are also to believe that there are crime rings that stage car accidents and have migrated to Tampa like birds. The actually NICB study PDF can be found googling the words "290 percent pip florida national insurance crime bureau tampa." The report cites no outside sources or police records of accidents. The report also doesn't explain the methodology it used to come to its conclusions. How exactly can there be 487 cases of accident fraud and only in St Petersburg? Are we to believe that St. Petersburg residents are more upstanding citizens.

The insurance industry protects their bottom line by paying off as few claims as possible. I don't believe for a second the NICB report is legitimate. The question is why is Atwater citing this report? The insurance industry gave $218,150 to Atwater's campaign. It seems Atwater knows how to protect his bottom line.