Insurance fraud is the second costliest white-collar crime in America, after tax evasion. It is estimated that $80 billion is paid out each year in fraudulent insurance claims. It is estimated by the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud that the average American household pays over $950 a year in additional premiums to cover the cost of insurance fraud. According to industry estimates, healthcare fraud alone costs Americans $54 billion a year.

The Insurance Research Council revealed some alarming information obtained from a recent survey regarding types of insurance crime that is considered "acceptable" by an unusually high percentage of the public. These types of insurance fraud include the following followed by the percentage of those surveyed who felt that it was acceptable: