It seems that just about any concept can become the focus of a reality TV series. A new show called “Fraud Dog” is currently in pilot production. The show will be about insurance fraud, and will be presented in a format similar to the “America’s Most Wanted” TV series.
I suppose that if you intended to make a television show about insurance, focusing on insurance fraud might be the only way to make that show interesting to viewers. This is the second show I’ve heard of that is attempting to do that, but it is the only one that takes on the subject from a “reality TV” point of view.
Earlier this year, there was a show in production that was created by nineteen year old Castille Landon. It is my understanding that the show was being called “Workers’ Comp”. It believe that it was being presented as a drama (that might have some comedy elements included in it).
That show featured a group of characters who work in a Workers’ Compensation insurance business. Some of the insight about the show comes from Landon’s real life experiences with her family’s insurance company. The main theme of the show is to emphasize the “who is scamming who?” dynamic. Is the insurance company appropriately awarding compensation? Is the person who filed the claim being honest?”
Another insurance related show is in pilot production right now. The show is called “Fraud Dog”. It will star Linda Webb, who is a former AIG Insurance claim executive. She also is a white collar crime detective that has become a consultant. It is not yet known which network will air the show.
“Fraud Dog” will be presented in a reality TV format. Each thirty minute episode will have highlights of actual insurance fraud cases that are presented through re-enactments. The main goal of the show is to give viewers a better understanding about how fraudulent insurance claims take place, in the hopes of helping to prevent people from becoming victims of it.
The other purpose of the show is to emphasize how prevalent insurance fraud is, and how many businesses and individuals are affected by it. According to the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud (CAIF), insurance fraud is an $80 billion dollar a year industry.
So far, the show has done some filming in Chicago and New York. There are plans for the show to do some filming outside of the United States in seasons two and three. This would be to focus on organized crime rings that send people into the United States in order to stage accidents.
Image by Nathan Borror on Flickr