Short History of Antifraud Efforts: Fraud in insurance has undoubtedly existed since the industry's beginnings in the seventeenth century, but it received little attention until the 1980s because law enforcement agencies had other priorities and were reluctant to provide the training needed to investigate and prosecute cases of insurance fraud. And, given the fine line between investigating suspicious claims and harassing legitimate claimants, some insurers were afraid that a concerted effort to eradicate fraud might be perceived as an ant consumer move. In addition, the need to comply with the time requirements for paying claims imposed by fair claim practice regulations in many states made it difficult to adequately investigate suspicious claims.

But by the mid-1980s the rising price of insurance, particularly auto and health insurance, together with the growth in fraud committed by organized criminals, prompted many insurers to reexamine the issue. Gradually, insurers began to see the benefit of strengthening antifraud laws and more stringent enforcement as a means of controlling escalating costs - a pro-consumer move - and they found ready allies among those who been adversely affected by fraud. These included consumers, who were paying for fraud through their insurance premiums; the people used by organized fraud groups to file false claims, often the poor, who sometimes found themselves on the wrong side of the law; and chiropractors and other medical professionals who were concerned that their reputation as a group was being tarnished by organized fraud ringleaders who had recruited their members to make fraudulent claims for treatment.