AGENDA
*Continuing Education (CE) credit will be provided by day, not by course. Each day will provide up to 4 hours of credit (based on state review). In order to receive daily CE credit, individuals will be required to attend all sessions for that day.
​
Continuing Education credit will be provided for:
Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, & Texas
MAY 2, 2023

OPENING REMARKS
NICB Leadership
10:00 AM - 10:15 AM (CST)

FRAUD TRENDS SINCE COVID
Mark Huard, NICB
10:15 AM - 11:00 AM (CST)
This presentation covers the role of a SIU investigator. It will briefly cover the different models of special investigation units and different types of fraud from single claim investigations through organized rings. The areas of focus will be on identifying red flags, accepting referrals, developing, and executing an investigation plan and presenting evidence at the conclusion of an investigation. The presentation will discuss the importance of collaboration between the SIU Investigator and the multitude of partners they will work with throughout an investigation. It will conclude with the topic of fraud hotline calls, what they are, where they come from, how to investigate them and the importance of anonymity.

ROLE OF SIU
Brian Bilderback, Erie Insurance
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM (CST)
This presentation covers the role of a SIU investigator. It will briefly cover the different models of special investigation units and different types of fraud from single claim investigations through organized rings. The areas of focus will be on identifying red flags, accepting referrals, developing, and executing an investigation plan and presenting evidence at the conclusion of an investigation. The presentation will discuss the importance of collaboration between the SIU Investigator and the multitude of partners they will work with throughout an investigation. It will conclude with the topic of fraud hotline calls, what they are, where they come from, how to investigate them and the importance of anonymity.



This course will provide information on how SIU, Law Enforcement and NICB can move towards common ground to support each other’s successes as well as focus on the importance of planning and preparation, effective communications and ultimately what is considered a success from all three perspectives. And most importantly that fighting fraud is a team sport!
WORKING WITH SIU, LE, & NICB
Ron Bryant, Erie Insurance
Dwight Christensen, UT DOI
Shawn Conrad, NICB
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM (CST)
This presentation covers the role of a SIU investigator. It will briefly cover the different models of special investigation units and different types of fraud from single claim investigations through organized rings. The areas of focus will be on identifying red flags, accepting referrals, developing, and executing an investigation plan and presenting evidence at the conclusion of an investigation. The presentation will discuss the importance of collaboration between the SIU Investigator and the multitude of partners they will work with throughout an investigation. It will conclude with the topic of fraud hotline calls, what they are, where they come from, how to investigate them and the importance of anonymity.
TACTICAL COMMUNICATION & FIELD SAFETY

Gus Hitz, NICB
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM (CST)
Most conflicts are the result of poor communication and ineffective situational management. What starts as a simple misunderstanding can potentially escalate into an argument, threats to personal safety and even physical aggression. By teaching both environmental awareness and tactical communication, this course will enhance your confidence and competence, so that you become better at recognizing, avoiding, and defusing potentially dangerous situations. You will learn situational awareness, and how to properly prepare for and respond to, a variety of situations both natural and human caused. You will also learn effective communication skills to help you become better at gaining cooperation from insureds, claimants and witnesses. This course is designed to help both the field and desk SIU investigator improve their safety awareness, interpersonal skills, optimize interview results, and effectively manage difficult subjects.
MAY 4, 2023

EVIDENTIARY INVESTIGATIONS YOU CAN DO FROM YOUR DESK
Tracy Stevenson, Esq, Tracy Law
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM (CST)
This course will give you instruction and practical experience in taking phone interviews (or phone EUS) with and without claim counsel present to obtain proper foundational information. We will also look at ways you can conduct investigations, even from your desk, which can lead to obtaining evidence which may be admissible should the case move into litigation all while protecting the adjuster from bad faith claims.
TBD
VERISK VISUALIZED CLAIMSEARCH & NICB DASHBOARDS
Erin Hunkemoeller, Verisk
Anthony Ragusin, Verisk
Kwhamec Rojas, NICB
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM (CST)



How many of you spend an entire day away from your phone? Do you panic when you can’t find it? It’s likely one of the top things you make sure you have before you leave the house, right? So why is it that as investigators, we don’t ask people to see their phones during interviews? Much like your own insurance policy, I bet you’ve never taken the time to look through it to understand what’s there. But don’t worry, you are about to. A mobile phone is a plethora of information, containing all kinds of data on where you’ve been, what you’ve purchased, and how you communicate (which isn’t always by standard text and phone calls). This presentation will show you how to find important data on a mobile device, from location information to search histories, to receipts. We will also discuss privacy issues and why just looking at someone’s apps alone could redefine the questions you ask in an interview.

DISCOVERING MOBILE DATA
Joe Stephenson, Intertel
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM (CST)
This presentation covers the role of a SIU investigator. It will briefly cover the different models of special investigation units and different types of fraud from single claim investigations through organized rings. The areas of focus will be on identifying red flags, accepting referrals, developing, and executing an investigation plan and presenting evidence at the conclusion of an investigation. The presentation will discuss the importance of collaboration between the SIU Investigator and the multitude of partners they will work with throughout an investigation. It will conclude with the topic of fraud hotline calls, what they are, where they come from, how to investigate them and the importance of anonymity.


INFOTAINMENT & TELEMATICS
Mike Markushewski, ARCCA
Matt Orcutt, ARCCA
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM (CST)
Vehicle Systems Forensics is a new technology that can be used to fight fraud and reconstruct accidents including reported stolen vehicle losses, arson investigations and more. It offers a new look into the actions of vehicle performance & driver interaction with the digital world inside a vehicle.
In this seminar, we will discuss how vehicle infotainment and telematics systems store vast amounts of data such as recent destinations, SMS messages, call logs, favorite locations, contact lists, emails, pictures, audio, social media feeds and navigation histories. Many systems can even store when/where a vehicle’s lights were turned on, when/where a door was opened/closed, when/where Bluetooth devices were disconnected, and odometer readings with date and time histories.
MAY 9, 2023

IDENTITY THEFT & ONLINE APPLICATION FRAUD
Jim Hammonds, GEICO
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM (CST)
Identity theft is an ever-growing crime that is adversely impacting insurance companies and their policyholders. This presentation will examine the crime, methods utilized to commit insurance fraud, what information is at risk, and how the SIU can find & combat it. As brokering and online application fraud often found hand in hand with identity theft, the presentation will also review common schemes and red flags associated with those activities as they relate to insurance fraud.

This course will provide the learner with an introduction to Elder Financial Exploitation. This type of abuse is the most common form of abuse when it comes to the older population. This course will provide the learner with an overview of what elder financial exploitation is, who the victims and perpetrators are and what the most common schemes are and how insurance fraud is one of the many ways in which the elderly are targeted and exploited via fraudulent policies and claims. The course will detail the indicators most often encountered, ways to resolve those indicators and resources that are available to assist both victims and professionals when elder financial exploitation has been identified.
ELDER FINANCIAL EXPLOITATION
Missy Coyne, NICB
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM (CST)
There are thousands of CPT codes, but you do not need know every code. Instead, build a foundation of CPT knowledge and learn some tools to use when examining claims. Knowing what the codes mean and where to find the information is important when you are trying to determine if they are being used appropriately in your bills.
CPT CODING BASICS
Scott Arena, NICB
Raun Bass, NICB
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM (CST)


This presentation covers the role of a SIU investigator. It will briefly cover the different models of special investigation units and different types of fraud from single claim investigations through organized rings. The areas of focus will be on identifying red flags, accepting referrals, developing, and executing an investigation plan and presenting evidence at the conclusion of an investigation. The presentation will discuss the importance of collaboration between the SIU Investigator and the multitude of partners they will work with throughout an investigation. It will conclude with the topic of fraud hotline calls, what they are, where they come from, how to investigate them and the importance of anonymity.


FRAUD AND MINOR INJURY SOFT TISSUE
Mike Markushewski, ARCCA
Matt Orcutt, ARCCA
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM (CST)
After attending this technical course, the attendees will have a better understanding of fraud in injury biomechanics and how a properly trained biomechanical engineer evaluates injury claims. Biomechanics is the study of injury causation. Therefore, the relationship between a described accident and the associated injuries must be analyzed. The accident forces will be evaluated, and the specific nature of the injury claim will be studied. If the mechanism for the injury claim existed in the accident, then causation for the presented injury may be possible. However, if the mechanism for the injury does not exist in the evaluated accident, then the injury did not occur during the accident. The attendees will gain a better understand of how biomechanics is applied to the typical low speed car accident. This will be presented through studies of human tolerance, as well as the mechanisms to cause injury to different parts of the body. Case studies of accidents involving different types of injuries will also be examined.
MAY 11, 2023

FIRE INVESTIGATIONS & INSURANCE FRAUD
This course will cover how fires are investigated, burn patterns, fire damage and common ignition sources. After this course, students will have a better understanding of the scientific methods of fire investigations.
Dean Hensley, Waller County Fire Marshall's Office
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM (CST)

TBD
VEHICLE CRIME
D.T. "Rusty" Russell, NICB
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM (CST)
This class will begin with a Basic Auto Theft 101 refresher. The student will learn to distinguish a VIN switch vehicle, whether it's a clone, counterfeit, or salvage vehicle. The student will learn how to detect these types of vehicles by utilizing several databases available to both the insurance industry and law enforcement. Also discussed will be the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS) and how it's designed to prevent introduction or reintroduction of stolen and salvage vehicles into interstate commerce. This class will cover the latest auto theft methods and targets.
IDENTIFICATION OF STOLEN/ALTERED VEHICLES
John Mitchell, NICB

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM (CST)
This presentation covers the role of a SIU investigator. It will briefly cover the different models of special investigation units and different types of fraud from single claim investigations through organized rings. The areas of focus will be on identifying red flags, accepting referrals, developing, and executing an investigation plan and presenting evidence at the conclusion of an investigation. The presentation will discuss the importance of collaboration between the SIU Investigator and the multitude of partners they will work with throughout an investigation. It will conclude with the topic of fraud hotline calls, what they are, where they come from, how to investigate them and the importance of anonymity.
CARGO/HEAVY EQUIPMENT THEFT
Richard Mank, Travelers
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM (CST)
TBD
