The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to helping prevent insurance fraud. In 1992, the National Automobile Theft Bureau (NATB) and the Insurance Crime Prevention Institute (ICPI) merged to form the National Insurance Crime Bureau. By combining the resources of insurers, rental companies, and transportation companies, as well as the cooperation of many law enforcement agencies, the National Insurance Crime Bureau is a leader in detecting, preventing, and deterring insurance crimes.
Insurance crime is a huge concern not only for law enforcement and insurance companies, but also for the general public that must pay insurance premiums every month. Insurance fraud and auto theft cost billions of dollars every year. When insurance companies lose money due to insurance fraud, or when they have to pay claims due to auto thefts, the costs are eventually passed on to the law-abiding consumers who pay premiums every month for liability insurance. The theory behind the National Insurance Crime Bureau is that by combining all the available resources to combat these crimes, everyone wins in the end.
As of 2011, more than 1000 insurance companies, car rental agencies, parking-service companies. and transportation companies were members of the National Insurance Crime Bureau. In addition, hundreds of local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies regularly cooperate with the NICB in a variety of ways. The National Insurance Crime Bureau also provides education for law enforcement agencies to help them learn how to investigate insurance fraud crimes and how to streamline auto theft investigations on a national level.
In addition to providing training and education for law enforcement, the NICB also provides a variety of services for insurance providers and others involved in the transportation industry, as well as for the general public. Numerous seminars are offered each year to help employees recognize the signs of insurance fraud or spot evidence of theft. Posters, fact sheets, checklists, and manuals are all available from the NICB for anyone who wants to learn more about deterring and preventing insurance fraud.
Along with the multitude of services the National Insurance Crime Bureau offers companies and law enforcement, they also offer services for the general public. For example, a VIN check may be done online to confirm whether or not a vehicle has ever been reported stolen or salvaged. Often, a vehicle is stolen and sold before being recovered by law enforcement, which leaves the purchaser with a stolen vehicle and no way to recover the money spent on the vehicle.