Tool can help insurers ensure document authenticity

An Ontario-based property inspection and analysis company will soon publicly launch a product that could help carriers verify the authenticity of an insured’s photos, files and forms.

A screenshot of the IADUS tool. Photo courtesy of BII Canada.

The Image and Document Upload System (IADUS) uses specific features to help insurance industry professionals (including claims adjusters, brokers and insurers) detect fraud. IADUS, which does not require the user to download an app and works via text or email, can also be used by landlords and property managers as well as those in the finance/law and construction sectors to verify the accuracy of photos and documents.

Currently, the tool is in prototype form and being used in Yukon, the Northwest Territories, Newfoundland and Labrador, British Columbia and Ontario. It is anticipated that it will be available for new clients by Jan. 3. “We are look at pricing it at $1.25 to send and receive a photoset,” added Patrick McDonnell, president of the company that created the tool, Pickering, Ont.-based BiiCanada.

For ease of use, users select from pre-defined photosets to request from clients; images are returned to the company’s server. The tool then looks at each picture and the codes embedded in it, specifically those related to date and time, GPS location, resolution, clarity and exposure. “Then we audit the set as a whole,” McDonnell explained.

Related: Does your claims app verify the car crash photos you’re getting?

IADUS’ website notes that the tool allows clients to retrieve forms and data fast, even from remote locations. Photographic submissions include authenticated geographic, timestamp and user information automatically. Recipients get a text message or email and click the link to begin the photo or data collection progress, taking pictures as prompted by the system or submitting files. Once all items are uploaded and processed, the system notifies the parties that the collection is complete.

As an example, the tool can look for things like vehicles that have pre-existing damage or to ensure people are living where they say they are living. It could even be used to confirm that a vehicle has snow tires on it for an insurance discount. “Claims and adjusting can obtain imagery instantly of damage with confidence from policyholders,” McDonnell told Canadian Underwriter. “Brokers can easily satisfy underwriting requirements at the same time, engaging their clients with smart technology.”

Insurance industry clients could also include the tool in their broker management systems or claims management systems, McDonnell said, adding that the company is looking to utilize peer-to-peer sharing in the future.