(1888PressRelease)
June 21, 2008 - WESTBOROUGH, MA - One of the latest byproducts of this national crisis has been the outbreak of fires and burglaries of foreclosed properties. It’s an area that has kept insurance companies on their guard and L&W Investigations, a private investigations firm specializing in insurance claims, on retainer.
“You’ve heard the expression ‘desperate times call for desperate measures’. The foreclosure situation in this country has led more than a few desperate, cash-strapped homeowners to arson and burglarizing their own homes to get the insurance money,” said Neal Lyons, chairman and CEO of L&W Investigations. “While police and fire officials investigate these cases for any foul play, the crime scene doesn’t always have the red flags that an insurance claim will. That’s where we come in.”
There are any number of red flags in a burglary or fire claim that can tip off insurance companies and their investigators on wrongdoing. Some of those include:
● Policy date and date of the fire or burglary – if these dates are within a few weeks or months, that’s a red flag.
● Occurrence of a burglary followed shortly thereafter by a fire of the foreclosed house.
● Burglaries where little or no damage occurs to the house.
● Economic factors – homeowner owes more on the house or property than it’s worth.
While many insurance companies employ special investigations units to examine these claims, the volume of cases requires the assistance of private investigations firms like L&W Investigations. L&W conducts site inspections, interviews with neighbors and takes limited and comprehensive scope statements (recorded, if necessary).
“You can feel a certain degree of sympathy for people in a foreclosure situation, but that in no way justifies insurance fraud. Especially when you consider the costs associated with it run in the billions,” said Lyons. “Does that mean everybody in a foreclosure situation will torch their house or arrange a burglary? Absolutely not. But with a price tag in the billions, it behooves the insurance companies to know if it’s a coincidence or conspiracy.”
L&W Investigations works exclusively on workers compensation, disability, liability, auto and property claims. With its network of investigations territories across the U.S. and Canada, Puerto Rico and the Hawaiian Islands, L&W boasts a client roster of more than 100 clients, ranging from insurance companies to third-party administrators, self-insured companies to law firms and municipalities.
L&W employs seasoned investigators who specialize in investigating insurance cases and claims. All L&W investigators go through extensive training and have access to the most state-of-the-art surveillance equipment. Among L&W’s offerings are: surveillance; statements; activity/disability checks; asset/background investigations; and medical audits/clinic inspections.
For more information on L&W Investigations, Inc, you can call their corporate offices at (508) 616-9370 or visit the Web site at www.lwinvestigations.com.
Not your everyday investigations firm
L&W Investigations, Inc. specializes in investigating insurance cases and claims. In addition to providing nationwide coverage, L&W investigators are highly trained specialists equipped with state-of-the-art surveillance technologies and other advanced systems to provide second-to-none results and service. That includes online case status reports, video delivery by digital download or CD, DVD or VHS tape, rush services at no extra charge and much more.
L&W Investigations territories are located across the U.S. and the Hawaiian Islands as well as in Canada and Puerto Rico.
For additional information, visit the Web site at www.lwinvestigations.com or contact L&W’s corporate headquarters located in Westborough, Massachusetts, at (508) 616-9370.
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