Insurance fraud is becoming increasingly sophisticated, with fraudsters exploiting small but repeatable tactics that are difficult for investigators to catch. One such tactic is the reuse of photos across different claims — a method that, without automation, can easily slip through manual review processes and result in significant losses for insurers.
Uncovering reused photo fraud with Shift's AI-based document fraud detection
An insured individual submitted a claim for spoiled refrigerated goods, supported by photos of a damaged freezer, allegedly caused by storms. At face value, the evidence looked convincing.
By applying advanced AI analysis, Shift’s solution identified reused photos across multiple claims and linked them to a single intermediary.
- Detected suspicious activity that would have likely been missed otherwise
- Blocked fraudulent payout before it was processed
- Linked fraudulent claim with two others and a single intermediary
- Confirmed fraud quickly with a desktop investigation
The power of AI in insurance: how advanced photo analysis and automation finds more fraud with greater speed and efficiency
Shift’s AI-based document fraud detection leveraged image similarity scoring to detect that the same refrigerator photo appeared in multiple claim submissions. The system compares image features to generate a similarity score that flags potential duplicates, even if images have been cropped, resized, or slightly altered. Once the reused photo was detected, the AI automatically generated an alert. Further cross-analysis of the claims uncovered another connection: the same intermediary was involved in each of the fraudulent cases. By combining computer vision-based photo analysis with network link detection, Shift’s AI provided insurers with clear, actionable evidence to block the claim before payment and dismantled the broker’s scheme.
Learn more from our team of 200+ data scientists
This video is part of a series of interesting cases presented by our insurance-focused team of data scientists. For more examples of Shift Technology's AI-driven results, browse the AI in Action library
