About us
The cost of insurance fraud is high for our state and its consumers. It's clear when you consider the loss we prevent and the fines and restitution our courts order. We are peace officers who enforce laws about insurance fraud. We conduct criminal investigations, make arrests and then submit those cases to prosecutors. We work with regulators, insurance companies and law enforcement partners to investigate fraud and scams. These include staged car crashes, fake injury claims and medical fraud.
On average, we get more than 200 referrals and tips each month from:
- The public
- Law enforcement agencies
- The National Insurance Crime Bureau and member companies
- The National Association of Insurance Commissioners
- OIC staff
We open multiple criminal investigations each year. These often lead to felony convictions and can recover or prevent lost money. Please search our news releases for details on specific cases. You can also sign up to get insurance fraud news by email or text.
CIU's Report to the Legislature
Under RCW 48.135.100, we regularly report CIU’s activities to the Legislature. The report includes recommendations from the insurance fraud advisory board, cases we refer for prosecution, convictions, how much money we recovered and other details about our actions.
Anti-fraud outreach
Part of CIU’s mission is to discourage fraud by teaching consumers how to recognize and prevent it. Our director speaks frequently at events to increase awareness of insurance fraud and how to avoid it. We create presentations for civic groups, chambers of commerce and members of the insurance industry. We also give presentations for the public, private organizations, law enforcement, fire investigators and government agencies.