In her first insurance job out of college as a claims examiner for Harford Mutual, Jackie Selke noticed something shocking in many general liability claims: People lie. So when the company decided to take its fraud investigations in-house, she immediately applied for a position. “It’s most probably the most interesting thing in claims,” she said. “People just do whatever it takes to get money. We see a lot of people lie; we catch them in lies.”
What’s a lasting effect of the pandemic on the way you work?
It’s given us the flexibility to work from home. We are in the office part time.
What’s a problem that needs fixing in your sector?
If somebody is caught in fraud not a lot happens after that. That’s why it is so easy for people to commit fraud. There are no real repercussions all the time. You notify the authorities, and, at the end, there’s no heavy fines, jail time. People aren’t seeing the effects of these poor decisions. What happens for us is the claim is denied, but it doesn’t stop all fraud from happening.
What should the industry do to attract more young people to work in it?
Make more insurance classes available at universities.
What is something about you that would surprise people?
I did my morning announcements in high school and I always had the dream of being on the radio.
Favorite hobby or pastime?
Spending time with my family, and when my son is asleep I like to watch reality TV.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be on the radio. I also thought it would be fun to do something with music.
Favorite song?
“Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears. It’s such an iconic song in a lot of movies. It never gets old.
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