Insurance fraud is any act knowingly committed by a person with the intent to obtain a benefit by deceiving an insurer. Insurance fraud may be committed by many individuals: applicants for insurance; policyholders; third-party claimants; and professionals who provide services to claimants. Common frauds include:

• "padding" or inflating actual claims
• misrepresenting facts on an insurance application
• submitting claims for injuries or damage that never occurred
• staging accidents.