Police interview man in Peterborough suspected of making false personal injury claim

Officers from the Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (IFED) were in the city yesterday (Thursday, May 24) and in many other parts of the country with fifteen people interviewed in an operation to clampdown on ‘opportunistic fraud’.

Each person who was interviewed was suspected of submitting fraudulent insurance claims in an effort to get compensation.

Eight of the people have been cautioned and the remainder have been released under investigation, including the person from Peterborough.

In total, the attempted claims made by the people against the insurance industry is £165,110.

In one of the cases, a woman admitted to lying about being in a taxi when it was involved in a collision. The taxi driver contradicted her claim and said she was not in the vehicle at the time and was actually their customer waiting for the taxi.

Detective Chief Inspector Andy Fyfe, head of the City of London Police’s Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department, said: “Opportunistic fraud is not a victimless crime and these kind of fake claims are felt by everyone.

“Through these days of action, we want to clampdown on this type of fraud and hammer home to fraudsters, or indeed anyone thinking of making a false claim, that IFED and the insurance industry won’t tolerate it.

“Be in no doubt, if you make a fraudulent claim we will investigate and you could end up with a criminal record, or even face time behind bars. On top of this, you’ll also face difficulty accessing financial products in the future, such as credit cards.

“These kinds of claims create a compensation culture in the UK, with some claims management companies encouraging people to make frivolous and exaggerated claims, often with the alluring offer of a ‘no win, no fee’ service.

“These types of referrals show that some people have no qualms about making false claims. However, the vast majority of people are honest about their insurance claims and it must be infuriating to have to suffer financially as the result of someone else’s criminality and greed.”

Anyone who knows or has suspicions of someone committing insurance fraud, even if it is a family member or friend, can call Action Fraud 0300 123 2040 or the Insurance Fraud Bureau’s Cheatline 0800 422 0421.