More than 100 felony charges have been filed against suspects allegedly involved in an elaborate, organized fraud ring operating in the San Francisco area that allegedly cost 11 insurance companies up to $500,000 in losses.

The number of questionable property-casualty insurance claims filed in the first half of the year increased 4.5% over the prior year, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau.

Arrests warrants were issued for 53 people in Florida, including clinic owners, managers and employees, after a five-month undercover sting targeting fraudulent insurance claims being filed after staged vehicle crashes in Hillsborough County, Fla.

The number of questionable insurance claims last year, although 24% more than in 2008, is a “statistical no big deal,” according to a National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) official.

“Slip and fall” insurance claims are starting to undergo tougher scrutiny as businesses and their insurance companies seek to combat a 57% increase in questionable claims in the last 2 ½ years.

A West Tampa, Fla., medical clinic was raided and shut down, and four people were charged with racketeering offenses, as Florida officials continue to combat staged auto accidents and bogus medical clinics.

Florida and New York, two states that have no-fault auto insurance, led states in the number of questionable insurance claims resulting from staged vehicle accidents, which nationally showed a 46% increase between 2007 and last year.

In an effort to streamline the process of reporting possible fraud in a filed claim while also saving state insurance departments time and money, three national insurance groups are pooling resources.

As the economy continues to correct itself, the ripple effect has helped drive a record number of insurance fraud notifications to the Virginia State Police Insurance Fraud Program (IFP).

Like other surrounding states, New York is not only seeing an increase in insurance fraud, but also in convictions for those committing such acts.