UK
Insurance Cheats Exposed
Insurers uncovered
fraudulent insurance claims worth £3.5 million
per week last year. Claims relating to accidental spills,
personal injuries and car crashes were exposed.
The amount recovered from fraud has increased
by 95 per cent compared to 2002 levels, the association of
British Insurers revealed. This dramatic increase has been
highlighted due to increased resources at insurance companies
disposal, new fraud detection methods being used and the collating
and sharing of information between insurers.
Fraudulent insurance claims appear to be
at record levels, which is worrying for honest policy holders,
although the increased diligence being paid to this problem
is the reason for the cheats being exposed. It appears the
industry is going to great lengths as not to seem an easy
target for fraudsters by protecting the honest policyholders
from the dishonest policyholders. The industry is now targeting
opportunistic cheats and organised fraudsters with renewed
vigour and revealed cheats will face receiving criminal records
and greater difficulty in obtaining future insurance and credit.
Some of the insurance scams being pulled have also been revealed
such as the claim for a damaged carpet being rejected after
forensic tests revealed the “accidental” spillage
of paint had in actual fact been spilled deliberately. Claimants
have also been found reporting household items stolen by burglars
when they have been hidden in lofts and garages.
Policyholders claiming personal injury have
been exposed as well, when in one case a man who claimed he
was unable to walk, was pictured in his local paper celebrating
being his football club’s top goal scorer. Organised
scams have included staged motor accidents, where gangs claim
damages and injuries after being involved in accidents with
innocent motorists. Local authorities and supermarket chains
have also been targeted by fraudsters, who claim injuries
sustained by poor paving or wet floors, when their injuries
were sustained through unrelated incidents.
The industry recognises the need to protect
the honest majority from the dishonest minority and as a result
has made catching the fraudsters an industry priority. With
more resources at their disposal than ever and more sophisticated
methods of fraud detection, insurers hope to deter people
from making fraudulent claims and send a message that those
caught will be severely punished.
The end result of these policies will
hopefully be less money being haemorrhaged by the industry
as a whole and thus keeping premiums low, good news for the
honest majority.
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