As an employer, it is your responsibility to protect your employees from the financial consequences of workplace accidents by affording them workers’ compensation benefits. But, what if the workplace injury was staged, in order for an employee to illicitly collect workers’ compensation benefits? Fraudulent workplace injury claims can be difficult to deal with and time-consuming to prove. This is why companies can save time, money and a lot of trouble by hiring a workers’ comp fraud investigator.
Workers’ compensation fraud occurs when an alleged injured employee knowingly and willfully lies in order to gain workers’ compensation benefits, which often times include medical care and financial compensation. While many people believe that workers’ compensation fraud only consists of employees lying about or exaggerating their injuries, the network of fraud perpetrators can even extend to corrupt medical providers. While it is obviously upsetting to believe that a medical professional would take advantage of workplace accidents, it is a sad reality nonetheless.
Using a Worker’s Comp Fraud Investigator to Stop Falsified Workers’ Compensation Claims
Using a workers’ comp fraud investigator to investigate workers’ compensation claims does not make you a distrustful employer who overly scrutinizes employees. Actively researching suspicious workplace injury reports makes you an employer who cares and looks out for the integrity of the workers’ compensation benefits that protect all of your employees. As an employer, should you suspect illegitimate workplace accidents or injury claims to workers’ compensation, you are urged to contact a workers’ comp fraud investigator as soon as possible.
Here are some approaches a workers’ comp fraud investigator may use to prove fraudulent workers’ compensation claims:
Evidence gathering: A workers’ comp fraud investigator gathers solid evidence that can help employers and businesses prosecute fraud and cut off false workers’ compensation claims.
Background checks and records research: An investigation into illegally-obtained workers’ compensation benefits may include checking medical records, employment records, and other records for evidence of falsified documents. Private investigators may also run a background check to see whether a worker has filed other workers’ compensation claims during any previous employment. Research interviews may also be conducted by interviewing the family, neighbors and co-workers of the employee or the medical professional(s) in question. This will help provide private investigators with evidence of previous or current fraudulent claims.
Surveillance: Private investigators may use audio, video, internet and other types of surveillance to determine whether an employee or medical worker is falsifying a workers’ compensation claim. Internet surveillance can provide incriminating evidence based on emails, text messages, instant messages, social media and more.
If you are an employer and suspect that either an employee or medical professional may be falsifying workers’ compensation claims, it is important that you take prompt action. We highly recommend that you do not attempt to gather the evidence of fraudulent workplace accidents or workplace injury reports on your own because mishandled evidence is highly likely to be thrown out of court. An experienced workers’ comp fraud investigator has the knowledge and experience to gather substantial evidence through research, interviews, surveillance and a background investigation to determine whether or not workers’ compensation claims are fraudulent. Allow us to assist you in putting a stop to misuse of workers’ compensation benefits. Call our workers’ comp fraud investigator team today at 514-238-8847.