DES PLAINES, Ill. — According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, a trend has been emerging as consumers struggle to pay their bills.

Rather than walking away from vehicle payments that can no longer be afforded, apparently many consumers are reporting vehicles as "stolen" and later the units are found burned up.

This means the vehicle will be declared a total loss and the loan will be paid off by an insurance company, NICB explained.

Joe Wehrle, NICB president and chief executive officer, recently acknowledged what he calls an "outstanding effort" put forth by members of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department's Auto Theft Unit, the North Las Vegas Fire Department, the Nevada Attorney General's Office and NICB in the recent indictment of a fire department captain for insurance fraud and arson relating to a suspected insurance fraud scheme involving the alleged theft and burning of a vehicle.

Commonly known as an "owner give-up," this kind of crime can strain the limited resources of local enforcement and fire agencies, as well as adding to the cost of insurance for all consumers, officials noted.

Over the past two years in Nevada, with the decline in the economy, the housing crisis and the credit squeeze, the number of "owner give-ups" has risen dramatically, NICB stated.

Due to the belief that a significant percentage of vehicle thefts reported to the police were actually "owner give-ups," the Las Vegas Police Department took the lead in developing a rapid response approach to the investigation of these crimes. Numerous other law enforcement and fire agencies have joined the effort and are working together to stem the tide of vehicle arsons.

Although these kinds of crimes have been occurring for years, the new and innovative approach to investigating them in the Las Vegas area is catching the eye of fire and police officials far from the Nevada heat, according to the NICB.

Basically, as soon as a vehicle arson is reported, detectives are dispatched to the fire scene no matter when the fire occurs. If the vehicle fire is deemed to be the result of arson, investigators then respond directly to the residence of the vehicle's registered owner to begin interviews.

In several investigations the vehicle owners have sustained significant burns while attempting to ignite their vehicles, NICB reported.

"In one instance police detectives actually beat the arsonist back to his home and were waiting when he arrived with burns from the fire," officials highlighted.

Not surprisingly, this rapid response is catching a number of people off guard turning "victims" into suspects and leading to serious criminal charges, NICB indicated.

The key ingredient in making these successful investigations is the cooperation among the various local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, local fire departments and the NICB.

This new approach to vehicle arson is also taking shape in Houston, where a group of investigators from local, state, federal and private organizations are pooling their talent and their resources into a strike team.

The Houston team consists of an assistant district attorney, representatives from the Harris County Fire Marshal and three NICB special agents. Crime Stoppers, ATF and the Texas Department of Insurance are also supporting the effort.

"In 2008, the Harris County (Texas) Fire Marshall investigated 219 vehicle fires. Of that number, 189 (86 percent) were determined to be an incendiary act and 32 of those were closed with an arrest," said Steve Baldassano. Harris County assistant district attorney.

"Using cell phone technology, accessing insurance information and using various other specialized techniques to follow the trail before it goes cold, the Harris County Fire Marshal has been able to claim a closure rate far in excess of the rate in nearby jurisdictions," he continued. "Now, we are trying to build on that success by using a team approach, joining forces and expanding the county's efforts to improve the clearance rate throughout the area."

NICB's Wehrle added, "This team approach is the key to cooling off this trend in arson-related owner give-ups. We've seen how task forces have been effective in reducing auto theft in high crime areas. Now, this same kind of approach is producing results in the arson area, and it's sending a message that will make people think twice before committing such a desperate and dangerous crime."