Insurance for cars is increasing in cost and it’s becoming more and more difficult to get a decent deal. This is partly because you’re paying (unknowingly) for the cost of people fraudulently claiming for crashes that were deliberate. Crash for cash is a con which is growing in the UK. In fact, £392 million is spent annually on these sorts of claims.
The myth of the insurance ‘victimless crime’
There is a common myth that insurance fraud is somehow a ‘victimless crime’ – that fraudulent claims just affect the pockets of so-called ‘fat cat’ corporations. Let’s dispel this straight away. Insurance fraud costs us all. As honest policyholders, we don’t realise that we’re picking up this bill through increased premiums. Are you happy giving fraudsters £50 of your money each and every year?
But in ‘Crash for Cash’, insurance fraud poses even starker risks to society. Innocent motorists are being targeted on roads by fraudsters motivated by money and getting what they want. By causing accidents deliberately, fraudsters are taking the lives of innocent people into their own hands. Are you aware that criminal gangs organise multi-million pound ‘Crash for Cash’ scams and use their ill-gotten gains for people and drug trafficking; as well as for the purchase and trade of illegal firearms? Far from being a victimless crime, we all need to be conscious of insurance fraud and how it affects us all.
The Insurance Fraud Bureau
The IFB (Insurance Fraud Bureau) was set up in 2006 to clamp down on organised insurance fraud – to disrupt criminal gangs and protect consumers from the effects of fraud. At any one time, up to 40 criminal gangs are being investigated by the IFB. Since 2006, the IFB has managed to dismantle sophisticated fraud rings across the UK, adding weight to the argument that ‘Crash for Cash’ is a UK-wide phenomenon, not constrained to postcodes or ‘hot-spots.
What can we do about it?
A lie detector test at the point of claim would show who is genuinely claiming for an accident. This would weed out the Crash for Cash fraudsters. When word gets out that part of the claiming process is a polygraph examination, this would deter future fraudsters from making such claims. This crime is ruining the lives of genuine insurance policyholders and all insurance companies should consider introducing polygraph services into their insurance claim process.
Insurance providers processing Crash for Cash Claims
All drivers want to be safe and secure on the roads. Cars are is there to get drivers from A to B not to be used to fund organisations that bring terror, drugs or guns to our country. How much money is this causing your business to spend? Introducing a lie detector test in the claims process could help. Policyholders would see that at least your organisation, as an insurance provider keeps our streets safe. And you will be doing everything at your disposal to keep premiums down. We invite insurance providers to contact us for more information.