Innovative technology solutions are enabling insurers to fight back against claim scam, including deepfake images

Doctored photos and documents from customers making insurance claims are one of the growing fraud threats for the insurance sector.

Yet research suggests that only 20 per cent of insurers are taking action against deepfakes, or synthetic media, in response to the manipulation or modification of photos, videos and other data. In its 2022 report Deepfakes: A Threat to Insurance?, American tech company Attestiv notes that altered photos that falsely inflate claims are the main concern for insurers.

Attestiv CEO Nicos Vekiarides says deepfakes use artificial intelligence (AI) to create synthetically generated photos and videos that do not have the forensic traces found in typical edited media. ‘They look like photos that have come right out of your phone,’ he says, ‘so it’s very difficult to spot the anomalies.’

The insurtech uses AI and blockchain technology to provide a tamper-proof media validation and automation platform. With fraudsters getting more sophisticated, Vekiarides says there is no room for complacency, as the insurance sector increasingly turns to automation and relies on customer-supplied photos or videos during the claims process.