APCIA Urges Passage of the Bipartisan Stop Auto Fraud Act of 2026

WASHINGTON - The American Property Casualty Insurance Association (APCIA) issued the following statement commending Representatives Laura Gillen (D-NY), Troy Nehls (R-TX), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), and Vince Fong (R-CA) for introducing the bipartisan Stop Auto Fraud Act of 2026 to make motor vehicle collision fraud a federal crime, improve safety for drivers and could help lower insurance costs. The following statement may be attributed to Sam Whitfield, APCIA's senior vice president of federal government relations:

"Auto claims fraud, including intentional crashes, staged accidents, fabricated medical bills, and AI-altered photo evidence, drives up costs throughout the system and ultimately raises auto insurance premiums for everyone. States that have enacted targeted anti-fraud and staged accident reforms have strengthened enforcement, disrupted organized fraud rings, and helped stabilize auto insurance markets, with some states even experiencing premium reductions. We applaud Representatives Gillen, Nehls, Gottheimer, and Fong for introducing the Stop Auto Fraud Act of 2026, which would establish federal criminal penalties for deliberate staged and phantom auto accidents. By giving law enforcement additional tools to combat organized crime fraud, this legislation addresses a significant driver of rising auto insurance claim costs and helps protect consumers from unnecessary premium increases."