Introduction
The Insurance Fraud Bureau of Australia, commonly known as the IFBA, is the working element of the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) dedicated to combating insurance fraud in all its forms. Established in December 2010 by ICA members, the IFBA exists to coordinate information sharing, support investigations, and reduce the impact of insurance fraud on honest policyholders.¹,²
The IFBA plays a central role in the Australian insurance industry’s collective response to fraud, working closely with police, regulators, and individual insurers.
What the IFBA Does (Plain English)
The IFBA is the industry body that helps connect the dots between fraud activity at different Australian insurers. Where a single insurer may see only one suspicious claim, the IFBA can support intelligence and information exchange across the wider industry.
Its core activities include:¹
- Operating a hotline for community members to report suspected insurance fraud (1800 600 444)
- Providing a law enforcement inquiry service to facilitate police investigations where insurance fraud may be a factor
- Coordinating information exchange between insurers where insurance fraud or a criminal act is reasonably believed to have occurred
- Participating in community and government forums focused on crime prevention
- Supporting prosecutions in partnership with state and federal police
Why the IFBA Matters
Organised insurance fraud is, by definition, rarely confined to a single insurer. The same network may submit claims across many different insurers, using slightly different identities, vehicles, or addresses to avoid detection. Without a coordinating body, each insurer would see only a fragment of the picture.
The IFBA provides industry-level coordination that makes effective disruption possible. The IFBA has estimated that insurance fraud in Australia costs more than $2 billion annually — a cost ultimately reflected in premiums paid by honest policyholders.¹
How the IFBA Fits with State Regulators
The IFBA operates alongside state-based regulators that have their own fraud focus. For example, the NSW State Insurance Regulatory Authority (SIRA) operates a multi-agency taskforce dedicated to investigating CTP fraud in NSW, with a CTP Insurance Fraud hotline established jointly with the IFBA for public reports.³
Similar relationships exist with other state regulators, including the Motor Accident Insurance Commission (MAIC) in Queensland. These partnerships allow the IFBA to support both industry-led and scheme-specific fraud response.⁴
The Evolving Industry Landscape
In 2024, the ICA announced that it is expanding the capability of the IFBA as part of the development of an industry-wide solution, with the establishment of a dedicated entity focused on the detection of systemic and organised insurance fraud across the Australian landscape.⁵
This followed the wind-up of the Insurance Reference Services (IRS) claims database in early 2024. The ICA has indicated that the new industry-wide fraud detection capability will draw on overseas experience, including the United Kingdom’s Insurance Fraud Register, to strengthen collective defence against organised fraud.⁵
Working with the IFBA
Insurers contribute to and benefit from IFBA intelligence in several ways. Confirmed fraud cases can be referred to IFBA intelligence teams. Suspicious patterns can be shared for cross-insurer analysis. And in cases of confirmed organised fraud, the IFBA supports investigation and prosecution through its relationships with state and federal police.
Effective participation requires clear internal processes for identifying, validating, and referring cases — processes that themselves benefit from strong fraud detection capability at individual insurer level.
Role of Analytics and Industry Collaboration
The IFBA’s effectiveness depends on the quality of intelligence it receives from its members. Where insurers operate sophisticated detection and entity resolution, the data they share with the IFBA is more valuable, and the industry-level intelligence in return is correspondingly stronger.
This creates a positive feedback loop in which investment in detection at individual insurer level strengthens collective defence across the industry.
Related Topics
Insurance Council of Australia and the General Insurance Code of Practice
Organised fraud in insurance
Network analysis in insurance fraud
Insurance fraud investigation
Sources & further reading
¹ Insurance Fraud Bureau of Australia — insurancecouncil.com.au/consumers/insurance-fraud
² Insurance Council of Australia — IFBA establishment and mandate documentation
³ NSW State Insurance Regulatory Authority — CTP Insurance Fraud collaboration
⁴ Motor Accident Insurance Commission (Qld) — fraud reporting framework
⁵ Insurance News (insuranceNEWS.com.au) — March 2024 reporting on IFBA expansion and IRS wind-up
