Claims Investigations
On this page:
1
Overview
Most claims investigations start from the same place: a file that is probably fine. Most claims are honest, and the adjusters we work with know it better than anyone. What brings us in is the small share that do not hold together. An injury that does not match what the claimant was filmed doing on Saturday. A loss report that shifts between the first call and the recorded statement. A timing coincidence that is probably nothing but reads badly on the file.
The problem is rarely suspicion. It is that suspicion is not actionable. An adjuster who cannot document a concern is left choosing between paying something questionable and denying something they cannot support, and both carry real cost. Over 17+ years and more than 800 closed cases, that gap between what a file suggests and what a file can prove is where nearly all of our claims investigations begin. Organized schemes are a different problem and belong with the National Insurance Crime Bureau and law enforcement. Most of what we investigate is the single questionable file sitting on an adjuster’s desk.
At Terrance Private Investigator & Associates, our licensed private investigators handle surveillance, recorded and written statements, activity checks, and background research so you have documented facts rather than an impression. We report what we observe in both directions. When a claim we were asked to scrutinize turns out to be exactly what it appeared to be, that is the report you get, and it is worth as much to your file as the other outcome.
Who We Help
Our claims investigations are requested by:
- Insurance Carriers
- Claims Adjusters
- Special Investigations Units (SIU)
- Third-Party Administrators
- Self-Insured Employers
- Risk Managers
- Defense Attorneys
- Law Firms
- Workers’ Compensation Carriers
- Liability Carriers
- Property & Casualty Carriers
- Businesses Managing Liability
- Municipal & Public Entities
- Independent Adjusters
How We Help
Our claims investigations may include:
- Claimant Surveillance
- Activity Level Documentation
- Workers’ Compensation Investigations
- Disability Claim Investigations
- Personal Injury Claim Investigations
- Liability Claim Investigations
- Property Claim Investigations
- Recorded Statements
- Written Statements
- Scene Documentation
- Alive and Well Checks
- Witness Location
- Witness Interviews
- Background Research
- Social Media Investigations
- Claimant Locates
- Sub Rosa Video Documentation
- Nationwide Claims Investigations
2
Reasons Clients Request Claims Investigations
Paying a fraudulent claim and denying a legitimate one are both expensive mistakes, and the second one is usually the more expensive of the two. In our experience the adjusters who call us are not looking for a result. They are looking for enough documented fact to make a defensible decision either way, and to be able to show their work if that decision is later challenged.
Our claims work is handled by licensed investigators experienced in workers’ compensation, disability, liability, and property matters. We work the question in front of us and report what the evidence supports.
Clients commonly contact us for:
- Activity Level Verification
- Claim Inconsistency Documentation
- Workers’ Compensation Surveillance
- Disability Claim Verification
- Suspicious Timing Review
- Recorded Statement Collection
- Witness Statements
- Claimant Background Research
- Liability Claim Verification
- Pre-Litigation Documentation
- Independent Claim Verification
- Scene and Damage Documentation
- Documentation to Support a Claim Decision
- Claimant Location
- SIU Support and Overflow
- Nationwide Claims Support
Common Situations We Investigate:
- The claimed injury does not match what the claimant is doing on social media.
- The account of the loss has changed between the first notice and the recorded statement.
- A workers’ comp claimant appears to be working elsewhere.
- A disability claim has run long with no medical explanation for the duration.
- The loss occurred shortly after a policy change or a coverage increase.
- You need an independent statement before the file goes to litigation.
- A witness listed on the file cannot be reached.
- Your SIU team is at capacity and a file needs to move.
- Defense counsel needs documentation ahead of a deposition or mediation.
- You need to verify a claim is legitimate before authorizing a significant payment.
If your file looks like one of these, we can tell you quickly whether an investigation is likely to produce anything useful. Sometimes it is not, and we will say so rather than run days of surveillance that yields a claimant sitting indoors. Evidence over assumptions applies to how we scope work as much as how we report it.
3
Insights & Resources
Our claims investigation insights bring together expert articles, investigative guidance, and real-world perspective from Terrance Private Investigator & Associates.
It seems we can't find what you're looking for.
4
How It Works
-
Send Us the Claim
You share the file and the specific concern. We review what you have and identify what actually needs to be established, which is often narrower than the whole file. -
We Build the Investigation
We scope the surveillance days, statements, and research the claim calls for, and we tell you up front what we think it will and will not produce. Open-ended surveillance without a theory burns budget and rarely helps. -
We Gather the Evidence
Our investigators document observable activity, take recorded and written statements, and confirm the facts using lawful methods from lawful vantage points. Everything is timestamped as it happens.
-
We Verify the Findings
We confirm identity before attributing activity to a claimant, and we organize the documentation so the chain from observation to report is clear. That chain is the first thing opposing counsel will test. -
You Get a Clear Report
You receive detailed documentation with video, stills, and written observations, including the periods where nothing of note occurred. Those periods matter, because a report with unexplained gaps invites the argument that the gaps were selective.
5
Why Choose Us
Licensed & Specialized
Claims investigations handled by investigators experienced in workers’ compensation, disability, liability, and property matters.
Discreet Surveillance
Trained field operators working from lawful vantage points, with discretion as the operating standard on every assignment.
Documentation That Withstands Challenge
Contemporaneous records, verified identity, and a clear chain from observation to report.
Fast Turnaround
Most claims investigations begin within 24 hours, so a decision is not held hostage by an open claim.
Objective & Thorough
We report what the evidence supports, whether or not it favors the outcome anyone expected.
Nationwide Coverage
Wherever your claimant is, we can investigate.
6
Next Steps
If a claim does not add up, guessing is expensive and so is overpaying. Our licensed investigators will get you documented facts you can act on, and we will tell you honestly whether the file is worth investigating before you commit budget to it. It starts with one confidential conversation.
Case studies
Real cases, real outcomes. A look at the claims investigations we have resolved for clients nationwide.
It seems we can't find what you're looking for.
Frequently Asked Questions
Claims investigations raise consistent questions about method, legality, and turnaround. Here are the ones we hear most from carriers, SIU teams, and defense counsel. If yours is not here, call us.
Contact Us
Whether you are a carrier, an SIU team, a third-party administrator, or defense counsel, our licensed investigators will get you documented facts on a questionable claim, and an honest read on whether the file is worth working. Contact us for a confidential conversation.