Fraud can add to costs of home owners insurance

Insurance fraud, often in the form of arson, is a crime that can add several hundred dollars a year to the cost of home owners insurance - especially during the current recession.

According to a recent report in the Flint (Michigan) Journal, the economy is forcing some people to desperate measures that can have a serious cost for themselves and others.

Lenny Jaskulka, a fire investigator with the Michigan State Police, told the newspaper that he has seen a rise in arson cases over the last eight months involving empty rental and foreclosed properties.

Also, a spokeswoman with the Insurance Institute of Michigan told the Journal that insurance fraud consumes $30 billion a year and raises the cost of home owners insurance, as well as auto insurance, by as much as $300 each year. The report also estimated that 10 percent of the $8.8 billion in insurance claims filed each year in Michigan are fraudulent.

Given the already high cost of insurance and the blight that fraud can bring on many neighborhoods, a number of states have set up hotlines where people can report such activities and potentially get rewards.

If you want to save money the easy way on your home insurance costs, while protecting yourself against fraud, visit InsureMe.com today.