The Economic Crime Unit of the Criminal Investigation Division investigates Financial Crimes. The crimes investigated by this Unit include Corporate Embezzlement, Identity Theft, Forgery, Bank Fraud, Contractor Fraud, Internet Fraud and Insurance Fraud. The Unit is supervised by a Sergeant and consists of four Detectives, a Forensic Accounting co-op student, and a support person.
The Unit receives complaints of crimes from local police departments, citizens, attorneys, businesses, banks and insurance companies. The Sergeant reviews the complaints and assigns a Detective to investigate the case. An investigation can include interviews of suspects and witnesses, surveillance, and forensic analysis of bank and financial records.
Detectives cooperate with many Federal Law Enforcement agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Office of the Postal Inspector, the Secret Service and the Customs Service. The Economic Crime Unit aggressively reaches out to the community to inform citizens of the fraudulent schemes and current trends in fraud and to offer protection against the schemes. The Unit developed a Power Point presentation to educate the public about fraud. The Sergeant and Detectives have presented this program to many civic groups and community organizations.
The Unit participates in a Co-op Program with Villanova University. This program, in which a well qualified Junior or Senior Accounting or Finance major is hired for a six-month period to assist in forensic accounting, is currently the only one of its kind in the country.
The Unit has one Detective dedicated to Insurance Fraud. The Insurance Fraud Unit is funded entirely by the Pennsylvania Insurance Fraud Prevention Authority. This Detective conducts both proactive and reactive investigations. He works closely with insurance company investigators and the Pennsylvania State Insurance Commission investigating Homeowners, Auto, Medical, and Workers Compensation, and Company/Agent Insurance fraud.
The Insurance Fraud Unit receives referrals from the insurance industry, businesses, employees, concerned citizens and other state or law enforcement agencies. If you suspect someone is committing insurance fraud, you are encouraged to submit an Insurance Fraud Referral Form: