More bogus insurance claims than ever

There were more than 2,300 fraudulent insurance claims every week last year in Britain. [27 July 2010]

Some of the most common dishonest insurance claims include bogus motor insurance claims, inflated home insurance claims and liability claims for fake personal injuries.

The 8,500 dishonest liability claims insurers came across last year include:More bogus insurance claims than ever

• a man who claimed he had fractured his hand after falling over a pothole in the street, when in fact he had sustained the injury after he punched a wall during a domestic dispute
• a young woman who claimed to have tripped over a loose pavement, when in fact her injuries were sustained from jumping down a flight of stairs while running away from security guards on suspicion of shoplifting
• an individual who claimed head injuries that had allegedly been sustained by falling over, but were in fact suffered after being hit on the head by a baseball bat during a fight.

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) is warning that honest customers end up paying higher premiums to subsidise such fraudulent claims, which is why insurers must continue to identify bogus claimants.

Read more about the increase in insurance fraud on the ABI’s website.

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To report a fraud, call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or use our online fraud reporting tool.

See also:
Insurance fraud
Fronting
Insurance broker scams