With the improvement in Michigan’s weather and TV commercials for legal representation in first party auto claims at an all time high, smart carriers are increasing their use of Michigan PIP claims surveillance statewide with private investigators. In many instances, when a casualty PIP claim appears to be fraudulent or embellished in some way, carriers are taking advantage of the good weather to document exactly what claimants are actually capable of doing on an average day. When one claims not to be able to return to work or requires replacement services, it is expected that they would not be seen washing their car, going to the fair, planting flowers, playing catch with the kids or any of the other things that normally occur in our lives each summer. With Michigan PIP Claims surveillance is conducted on the injured policy holder who files a claim for benefits after sustaining injuries in an auto accident. In May and June, Sherlock Investigations has seen a combined 18% increase in requests for Michigan PIP claims surveillance over last year and this increase is coming from a wide variety of carriers.
In the past five years, Michigan PIP claims, or first party claims, have grown substantially and the number of law suits in this space has grown almost exponentially as more attorneys have found this to be a lucrative area to make money in. PIP is also the fastest growing area for insurance fraud in Michigan. Smart carriers are fighting back be increasing their use of Michigan PIP claims surveillance with Sherlock Investigations (Michigan Private Investigators specializing in claims surveillance) on speculative PIP claims.