Fraud a growing and costly problem

Richard Clifford speaks in Lewiston Tuesday.

Tools

Story Published: May 6, 2009 at 2:12 PM PDT

Story Updated: May 6, 2009 at 2:12 PM PDT

By Stephanie Smith

Watch the video

LEWISTON - Fraud costs Americans over $100 billion each year. And with a slumping economy, experts said it's only getting worse.

"People are just desperate because the economy is down," said Idaho Fraud Awareness Coalition representative Richard Clifford. "If they lost their job they are inclined to commit fraud and they shouldn't. They should be seeking other resources if they need money."

And fraud can take many forms. Clifford said reports of people trying to rip off their own insurance company is up, along with scams aimed at individuals, especially seniors.

"When we talked in Grangeville Monday and there were nearly 90 seniors there, every single one of them had either been a victim of fraud or knew somebody who had been a victim of fraud," said Clifford. "So yes, it's really hitting the seniors big time and it's hitting the seniors especially because they are trusting people and it's hitting right now because our economy is down."

And it's the big impact of fraud that led Idaho Governor Butch Otter to declare this as Fraud Awareness Week.

Tuesday morning Clifford spoke to a small group at the Lewiston Community Center. He emphasized reporting fraud to the Statewide Health Insurance Benefits Advisory (SHIBA).

"We have a lot of our seniors getting frauded, getting put on plans they shouldn't be on, doctors taking advantage of them, things like that. If they don't report it, it just continues to escalate and we really can help stop a lot of that fraud," said SHIBA Volunteer Services Coordinator Tonya Steele.

SHIBA works with the Department of Insurance to investigate possible scams.

To report a scam call SHIBA toll free at 1-800-247-4422. If they can't help you they will point you in the direction of someone who can.

Current Weather

Current Temp 42.0 °F

A Few Clouds

More Weather

Current Weather

More Weather

Upload directly from your mobile device.

Learn how

YouNews

This content requires the latest Adobe Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript enabled. Click here for a free download of the latest Adobe Flash Player.