n6insurancejournal.xtg
TITLE: Insurance Journal Airs Daily Fraudcaster Online
Fraud costs the insurance industry between $85 billion and $120 billion a year, according to the Insurance Information Institute. Independent agents, claims adjusters, and most importantly consumers, are impacted by this problem.
Insurance Journal magazine, which produces www.insurancejournal.com and www.claimsguides.com, recently unveiled a weekday fraudcast, The Daily Fraudcaster, to cover the industry’s fight against fraud.
Online Editor Dave Thomas, who compiles the information from various insurance departments and industry resources, and reads the audio reports, said that fraud was one area he felt was not being talked about enough in the industry.
“We see the studies like those by the I.I.I. and others, but do independent agents or claims adjusters, or for that matter, the consumers, really know the full impact of fraud in the industry?” Thomas asked. “We felt ‘The Daily Fraudcaster’ was a service that would aid both agents and adjusters in knowing who the bad players are out there.”
Mitch Dunford, chief operating officer of IJ, noted that fraud stories are some of the most well read news stories on IJ’s Web site, so it seemed natural to follow them up with an audio broadcast.
“Insurancejournal.com has taken fraud news to the next level by making it available in an audio format,” Dunford said.
While the Monday through Thursday reports reflect a more “serious side” of fraud’s impact on the industry, Friday’s report, called Friday Follies, highlights some of the more bizarre cases. In addition, The Daily Fraudcaster has begun to feature industry experts that can speak directly on fraud-related issues.
Dunford noted that what is unique about the Fraudcaster is the manner in which it is distributed. The Daily Fraudcaster can be heard via the IJ Web site in the audio/video features section, or by automatic download using an RSS feed, known as podcasting.
The RSS feed makes it possible for anyone with an Internet connection and the right software (ipodder) to automatically download The Daily Fraudcaster broadcast to a computer or handheld MP3 player. Once downloaded, the broadcast can be replayed at anytime. RSS technology is just beginning to gain in popularity and ease of use, Dunford added.
“The Insurance Journal online team believes RSS and other similar technologies will continue to grow in popularity and will open up new methods of distribution for editorial content,” Dunford added.
The Daily Fraudcaster broadcasts highlight three to five fraud-related news stories per day in less than five minutes. “While we take this matter very seriously, we want to have some fun with it,” Thomas said.
And podcasting provides the right venue for a new generation of listeners. “Podcasting allows very niche audiences to listen to downloaded audio content at their convenience, and the popularity of the format is growing exponentially,” said IJ’s New Media Producer Chad Reese.
Topics Fraud
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