NICB's 'The Informer' Focuses on Staggering Rise in Auto Crime

Near Record Highs in Vehicle and Catalytic Converter Thefts, Violent Carjackings

DES PLAINES, Ill., July 13, 2022 — The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), the insurance industry’s association dedicated to predicting, preventing, and prosecuting insurance crime, announces the release of its new issue of The NICB Informer publication.

The Summer edition focuses on the nationwide surge in auto crime. Within the issue, NICB details its efforts to fight auto crime with data, digs deeper into vehicle crime statistics with the latest ForeCAST^SM Report, and informs readers about emerging crimes related to automobiles, including gasoline theft.  

“Nowhere has the escalation of crime across the nation been more apparent than with auto crime,” said David Glawe, president and CEO of the National Insurance Crime Bureau. “Crime is a business, and the business of auto-related crimes is very good in many of our neighborhoods.”

Auto crime comes in many different forms, from violent carjackings to stolen vehicles to catalytic converter thefts. In 2021, catalytic converter theft claims increased 1,215% compared to 2019 and car thefts increased by 17% in 2021 compared to 2019. More alarmingly, New York City, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Washington, D.C., have experienced triple-digit increases in carjackings, the highest escalations in the nation.

"We partner closely with federal and local law enforcement agencies to resolve these cases," said Glawe. "NICB has also been front and center in raising public awareness of these crimes through media interviews, public service announcements, and advocacy efforts."

Also in this issue, Gary Barksdale, Chief Postal Inspector for the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), discusses the long-standing partnership between his organization and NICB, as well as the types of fraud the USPIS is seeing and how these crimes impact victims of all demographics and socioeconomic categories. Additionally, the Ukraine invasion is affecting the insurance market in a big way, so we examine how war crimes affect the industry.

More insights can be found in The NICB Informer, a publication aimed at providing insurance industry executives with anticipatory intelligence to help identify risks and emerging threats to the industry. Anyone interested in receiving a digital copy notification can sign up or send an email to TheNICBInformer@nicb.org to be added to the distribution.