The National Insurance Crime Bureau is extending its reach to mobile with a new SMS-based fraud-reporting service.

Consumers can text the keyword FRAUD to short code TIP411 (847411) to submit tips related to insurance fraud or vehicle thefts directly to the NICB. The new TIP411 service was designed to complement the existing 1-800-TEL-NICB phone tip program.

?NICB has been using a toll-free hotline for several years and we also offer a tip form on our Web site,? said Roger Morris, vice president and chief communications officer at the National Insurance Crime Bureau, Des Plaines, IL. ?We receive over 300 tips a month.

?When we saw a demonstration of the TIP411 service, it was a logical extension of our outreach program to the American public,? he said. ?We have added it in conjunction with the launch this month of our newly redesigned http://www.nicb.org.?

The NICB is a not-for-profit organization that is dedicated to preventing, detecting and defeating insurance fraud and vehicle theft through information analysis, investigations, training, legislative advocacy and public awareness.

Staying safe with mobile
TIP411 is a Web-based text messaging system created by CitizenObserver. It is being used by law enforcement and schools in 30 states.

The service is anonymous ? NICB will not store the mobile information of users who text-in unless the mobile device user gives their permission.

The NICB said that messages can be responded to in real time, creating an instant two-way live chat with its personnel and tipsters.

Mr. Morris said that this service helps involve the public in the fight against insurance fraud and vehicle theft.

?Insurance companies and law enforcement can only do so much,? Mr. Morris said. ?We need the public?s help, and since texting is the way most younger people communicate these days, it makes sense to provide them an easy way to get involved.?

Mr. Morris said that the target demographic is consumers ages of 18-34, but that he also uses text messaging, and so does his mother-in-law, who is in her 80s.

The NICB went with the TIP411 service for now, but said that as new forms of mobile tipping become available, the organization will look into it.

Mr. Morris said that technology has changed the way crimes are both committed and reported.

With companies such as Ravelco and LoJack producing car-theft deterrent devices, Mr. Morris said that thieves are thinking twice about stealing automobiles.

?You can?t stand still in the fight against fraud,? Mr. Morris said. ?Technology has had a major impact on vehicle theft in recent years.

?The organized theft rings have moved to easier targets, like medical fraud, cargo and heavy equipment theft,? he said. ?NICB and our member companies and our law enforcement partners are focusing more and more on those areas and we need the public?s help to report suspected cases of fraud and theft in these areas.

?Who better to report a suspected cargo theft than a trucker with a cell phone who can text the information anonymously??