Florida ‘Fraud Dog’ Bringing Insurance Cases to TV

Insurance fraud is so big it could be getting its own reality television show.

The show, called the “Fraud Dog,” is in pilot production, and will star Linda Webb, a former AIG insurance claim executive and white collar crime detective turned claims consultant in Florida.

Similar in format to the “America’s Most Wanted” TV series, Webb’s 30-minute reality show will highlight actual fraud cases through re-enactments. Her production company has already completed filming in Chicago and New York and is in talks to determine when and where the show will air.

“We sent it out to multiple networks and we’re waiting now to finalize the contracts on which network it’s going to be on,” Webb said.

Webb hopes the television show catches on because she believes the nation needs to understand how fraud affects every business and citizen, not just insurance companies.

“I really firmly believe that America needs to wake up, and not only do we need to wake up about fraud but we need everybody’s help…we all need to unite, we need to join forces and we need everybody’s help,” Webb said.

She wants to stop fraud by engaging the public. “Education breeds prevention, it breeds awareness,” said Webb.

“Each show will be dedicated to a different type of fraud scam and when you get done with the television show, you’re going to know how the fraud occurs, how to be aware of it, and how to…not be a victim of it,” according to Webb.

She recently filmed a chiropractic fraud episode in Chicago. “A doctor that’s a certified fraud examiner walked us through all the different fraudulent practices that are done in the chiropractic field,” Webb said.

Webb has a background in fighting fraud. A stint early in her career as a white collar crime detective led in 1994 to a fraud investigator position with American International Group. Webb stayed with AIG, moving up the ranks to become an assistant vice president of the global fraud investigation division. She left AIG in leaving in 2007 to work for Medicare as a private contractor. Now, Webb investigates claims for workers’ compensation insurer Patriot National Insurance Group and conducts multi-line property/casualty investigations as the president of Contego Services Group, based in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Webb thinks the image of a dog fighting fits her. “I’m always a dog with a bone. I’m never going to stop until I solve the crime,” she said.

The crime she wants to solve is huge. Insurance fraud is an $80 billion dollar a year industry, according to the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud. Organized crime is also involved. To document the international ties, Webb is already planning to take the “Fraud Dog’s” filming overseas in seasons two and three.

Topics Florida Fraud AIG