Editor's Note: Beginning thisweek, the Claims' staff is profiling several speakers who will bedispensing knowledge and offering insights during this year'sACE America'sClaims Event, which is being held from June 1-3, 2009,at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nev. We begin the coverage byinterviewing Joseph Werhle, NICB president and CEO, who will bedelivering a keynote presentation on June 2, 2009.

In a time of economic turmoil, many resort to unscrupulous waysto augment their incomes, committing insurance fraud and othercriminal acts. As the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB)reports, there has been a noticeable increase in vehicle arsons,owner give-ups, and theft of precious materials and other goods.Compounding the issue is the fact that criminal rings have becomemore sophisticated. Thus, the need to recognize prevalent schemesand take measures accordingly has never been more pronounced forinsurers and the organizations that support them.

One such organization with a legacy of spreading awareness andimmersing itself in anti-fraud initiatives is the NICB. In keepingwith its vision, NICB recently implemented an integrated businessplan that focuses on five core disciplines: data analytics,investigations, training, legislative advocacy, and publicawareness. In a keynote address slated for June 2, 2009, JosephWerhle, NICB president and CEO, will discuss this integrated planwhile helping insurers discern the many unsavory flavors of fraud.Werhle will also examine emerging trends and explore methods toquell fraud.

Mr. Werhle will also touch upon some positive trends, such asthe steady decline of vehicle thefts each year.

"As this decline continues, we are increasingly focusing onother areas of insurance fraud, such as medical fraud, cargo theft,and heavy equipment theft," he said.

Since 2002, NICB has established major medical fraud task forcesin several cities to attack medical fraud through partnerships withinsurance companies, as well as local, state, and federal lawenforcement. Additionally, the NICB is involved in health carereform anti-fraud initiatives that are currently underway inWashington D.C.

Among other topics covered will be vehicle identification andrecovery, for which NICB has already established a strongreputation. Werhle will highlight specific efforts moving forward,including the organization's involvement and support of bait car or"decoy car" programs, which are used by law enforcement to nab carthieves. These vehicles are customarily equipped with some sort oftracking device and recording capabilities that allow police toremotely monitor the car and its assailant. A bait car may befilled with valuable items and then parked in a high-theft area,unlocked and/or with the key still in the ignition. When theperpetrator steals the car, officers are alerted and are then ableto shut off power to the engine and arrest the thief.

"Bait car programs are operating in 28 states, with 253 membercompany vehicles utilized," Werhle said. "We have also implementedthe VINCheck program on our website. This is free to the public andhas been very successful. We've led an industry effort to supportand implement National Motor Vehicle Title Information System(NMVTIS) to facilitate the sharing of data between departments ofmotor vehicles in all 50 states. This is part of our effort toreduce car thefts and cloning."

To learn more about NICB's initiatives as well as sophisticatedcriminal rings such as the car-cloning ring recently busted by theFBI -- this ring stole more than 1,000 high end vehicles, cloningtheir VIN numbers and reselling them in 20 states and severalforeign countries -- plan on attending Werhle's session at thisyear's ACE conference in Las Vegas, Nev. Register by clicking here.