The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), a non-profit organization dedicated to fighting insurance fraud and vehicle theft, announced the launch of a special online database for the public, listing vehicles and boats damaged by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Already, 70,000 vehicles are listed in the database, with more added daily, according to a report by Automotive Retailing Today. The effort is expected to last six months to a year.
Working in close cooperation with law enforcement agencies in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Texas, NICB teams are collecting all the VIN numbers of damaged vehicles, utilizing the latest techniques in the industry. We don’t know how many are total lossesê as that information is unique to the individual insurance companies that insure the vehicles, said Frank Scafidi, of the NICB.
The NICB said all VINs from hurricane-damaged vehicles gathered so far have been made available to law enforcement, state fraud bureaus, insurance companies and state departments of motor vehicles to help prevent fraud, which could occur through title washing.
The public can now access the damaged vehicles via their VINs in the public database by following the instructions on the NICB’s website, www.nicb.org. To report fraud, call 1-800-TEL-NICB (1-800-835-6422).
In early October, Carfax estimated that up to 571,000 vehicles may have been destroyed following Hurricane Katrina. Carfax said it also is working with law enforcement state agencies and private companies to make sure all hurricane-damaged vehicles are properly branded.
Another avenue to identify hurricane-damaged vehicles has been provided by Experian, in cooperation with NADA. NADA members can obtain free branded title information by calling (800) 509-5489. This service offers NADA members damage information on up to 25 units per dealership through the end of the year.
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