The frequency of false insurance claims has lead to the creation of an entire separate job position related to investigating every claim – a claims investigator works for an insurance company and assesses all of the details surrounding a certain insurance claim. The job is similar to that of a claims adjuster, but the claims investigator isn’t looking for factors that alter the price – their job is to find outright lies and attempts at fraud behind the insurance claims, for example uncovering arson as the reason behind a fire that’s claimed to be an accident.
Claims investigators usually come from a background related to insurance, most commonly working at various positions in insurance companies. One of the most important traits of an insurance investigator is good knowledge of the insurance system and the common situations in which it’s exploited by malicious clients. Furthermore, a claims investigator’s job can sometimes pose health hazards, when dealing with unscrupulous clients who’re willing to go to extreme lengths to protect the integrity of their scams – thus, a claims investigator must have a very strong personality and be a perfect judge of character.
A claims investigator will usually receive the best compensation of all the employees related to examining an insurance claim in a company – this is determined by a variety of factors, such as the higher risk involved in the job, as well as the increased level of difficulty in performing it properly. A claims investigator can easily earn over $60,000 a year, while the lower-paid ones receive between $40,000 and $45,000 annually.