Did You See……..

“Fiddles, Cheats and Scams”, shown on ITV1 last month?

This programme questioned how honest people generally are when it comes to insurance claims.

The survey commissioned gave some interesting results:

Six out of ten think that the majority of people would consider “fiddling their insurance” and one in seven think it’s acceptable to exaggerate a claim!

From over-egging trips and slips…to destroying your own business…to cold-blooded murder, this programme looked at some of the most extreme insurance fraud cases and some of the more common exaggerated claims…. and how the insurance companies are fighting back! In 2006, £480 million of fraudulent general insurance claims were detected and prevented. This was a threefold increase in the amount of fraud that was detected in 2003.

The insurance industry takes fraud seriously and ultimately it’s our premiums that are increasing as “insurance fiddles” hit record levels costing around £1.6 billion a year. It is calculated that an extra £40 on the average personal insurance premium is paid to cover the cost of fraud.

The Insurance Fraud Bureau operates the Fraud Cheatline. Anyone with information on suspected insurance fraud can call this confidential helpline 0800-328-2550.