0:00:03 > 0:00:06Insurance fraud in the UK is reaching epidemic levels
0:00:06 > 0:00:09and it's costing us billions of pounds every year.
0:00:11 > 0:00:15Deliberate crashes, bogus personal injury claims, even phantom pets.
0:00:18 > 0:00:21The fraudsters are risking more and more to make a quick killing.
0:00:23 > 0:00:26And every year it's adding up to £50 to your insurance bill.
0:00:29 > 0:00:33Insurers are fighting back, armed with covert surveillance systems...
0:00:35 > 0:00:37The subject is out the vehicle.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40..sophisticated data analysis techniques...
0:00:41 > 0:00:44..and highly skilled dedicated police units.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47Police! Don't move. Stay where you are.
0:00:47 > 0:00:49They're catching the criminals red-handed.
0:00:49 > 0:00:53All those conmen, scammers and cheats on the fiddle,
0:00:53 > 0:00:57now they're caught in the act and claimed and shamed.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09A hard-braking bus takes the blame for a dislocated knee...
0:01:09 > 0:01:13The eventual outcome was decided by the CCTV footage.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18..a vigilante road user gets tough on fraud...
0:01:18 > 0:01:21With Mr Parker they definitely picked on the wrong individual.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24..and a specialist fraud-busting team is on the hunt
0:01:24 > 0:01:26for a crash-for-cash suspect.
0:01:26 > 0:01:28It's the police so can you open the door?
0:01:33 > 0:01:37Bendy ones, tall ones, short ones and sometimes late ones,
0:01:37 > 0:01:42buses are a varied bunch but they have one thing in common.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45If you're not holding on tight, they can knock you off your feet.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48That's exactly what happened to this stricken man
0:01:48 > 0:01:52on the 427 bus in West London. He's just dislocated his knee.
0:01:54 > 0:01:58A passenger stood up, pressed the bell.
0:01:58 > 0:01:59As he stood up and pressed the bell,
0:01:59 > 0:02:02the driver had braked very hard, forcibly,
0:02:02 > 0:02:06causing him to plough into the seat in front of him and hit his knee on the seat.
0:02:06 > 0:02:12After the passenger's dislocated his knee, he's clearly in some pain.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15He then stands up and limps to the stairwell of the bus,
0:02:15 > 0:02:18trying to figure out how he's going to get down the stairs
0:02:18 > 0:02:21as he can now no longer bend his leg because he's dislocated his knee.
0:02:21 > 0:02:25He then realises he can't do this so he decides just to sit down in the stairwell.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30Blocking the stairwell, unable to move, and in a lot of pain,
0:02:30 > 0:02:33the injured passenger alerted the driver.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36The bus driver stopped to let some passengers get off
0:02:36 > 0:02:39and after he closed the doors he heard a voice, a male voice,
0:02:39 > 0:02:43saying, "Please can you stop the bus? Hold on a second."
0:02:43 > 0:02:46So the bus driver waited.
0:02:46 > 0:02:48Due to the severity of his injury,
0:02:48 > 0:02:50an ambulance was called for the lame passenger.
0:02:50 > 0:02:55That wasn't the last the bus company was going to hear of the incident.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00The gentleman later on presented a claim for personal injury,
0:03:00 > 0:03:03compensation for the injuries that he sustained to his knee.
0:03:03 > 0:03:07He's also stated that he has suffered a loss of earnings.
0:03:07 > 0:03:11Two months after the incident, he's claiming that he's still unable to work.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14Although he didn't qualify his claim,
0:03:14 > 0:03:19I would suspect it would be in the region of £10,000-£20,000
0:03:19 > 0:03:23including legal fees, so a not insubstantial amount.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29For incidents like this, First Group self-insure.
0:03:29 > 0:03:33So they pay out for claims from their own pocket.
0:03:33 > 0:03:37The supposedly hard-braking bus driver had potentially
0:03:37 > 0:03:40exposed the bus company to a serious financial blow.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44But before the passenger could be paid,
0:03:44 > 0:03:47the bus company had to complete its standard claims process.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50When the claim was submitted to us we decided to investigate,
0:03:50 > 0:03:53as we do with all claims, using all the evidence available to us.
0:03:56 > 0:03:58Evidence like this.
0:03:58 > 0:04:03CCTV coverage on buses tends to be good in all areas.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07On this particular bus, we've got 12 cameras fitted.
0:04:07 > 0:04:13They will include cameras showing the upstairs deck, front and back,
0:04:13 > 0:04:16the stairwell, also downstairs will have cameras
0:04:16 > 0:04:19looking at the passengers at the front and the back.
0:04:19 > 0:04:23We'll have cameras showing people boarding the bus.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26There's a camera in the driver's cab so we can see
0:04:26 > 0:04:29what attention the driver is paying to what he's doing.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33We've also got cameras on the outside of the bus looking forwards,
0:04:33 > 0:04:36backwards and along both sides forwards and backwards.
0:04:36 > 0:04:40So it's a pretty good overall view of all areas on the bus.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45If the bus driver had dislocated the passenger's knee
0:04:45 > 0:04:48with some hard braking, his bosses were about to find out.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55This is the 427 bus on the evening of the incident.
0:04:55 > 0:04:57Here comes our passenger now.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02He originally got on the bus, he stood at the bottom of the stairs,
0:05:02 > 0:05:07and then as the bus moved away, he decided to join the upper deck.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10He went to the back of the bus and sat straight in the middle seat.
0:05:11 > 0:05:13Soon, according to his claim,
0:05:13 > 0:05:17we should expect to see the passenger's knee dislocated
0:05:17 > 0:05:19after the bus driver slams on his brakes.
0:05:19 > 0:05:21If you're squeamish, look away now.
0:05:21 > 0:05:25When we looked at the footage, we realised a very different story
0:05:25 > 0:05:29to the one the gentleman had informed us was coming to light.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35What the bus company saw was bizarre.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39The passenger engages in a session of martial arts
0:05:39 > 0:05:41with a much bigger opponent - the 427 bus.
0:05:44 > 0:05:50He starts throwing the occasional martial art block and punch into the air.
0:05:52 > 0:05:56It's an intimidating sight, one that drives his fellow passengers
0:05:56 > 0:05:58away from the battle zone.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03Some of the passengers start moving away from him.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06He stands up and becomes a lot more animated.
0:06:06 > 0:06:11He starts throwing elbow blocks and knee strikes
0:06:11 > 0:06:14and kicks at the seats and the metal stanchions on the bus
0:06:14 > 0:06:18and he really looks like he's trying to take down an invisible opponent.
0:06:20 > 0:06:25Far from invisible, the 12-tonne enemy was getting the upper hand.
0:06:26 > 0:06:32He hugs onto the post and he becomes imbalanced
0:06:32 > 0:06:35and spins from the post, and it's at this point
0:06:35 > 0:06:39that he gets his right leg caught between his left leg and the seat
0:06:39 > 0:06:41and you can see the twist of his knee
0:06:41 > 0:06:43which is where the dislocation then occurs.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50The passenger's version of events was a complete lie.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53His knee hadn't been dislocated due to the bus driver braking sharply.
0:06:53 > 0:06:58He had dislocated his own knee scrapping with a metal pole.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01You can then see he's in some visible discomfort.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04He rolls up his trouser leg and starts to hold his knee.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08Meanwhile, unaware of events unfolding upstairs,
0:07:08 > 0:07:11the driver brings the bus to a gentle halt for the next stop.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14To be honest, the CCTV footage is probably all we needed
0:07:14 > 0:07:17to discredit this person's version of events.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20He's told us what happened in his words,
0:07:20 > 0:07:24we've looked at the footage. It clearly is very different to what he stated.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27It couldn't be any clearer.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30The passenger's phoney claim had been exposed.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34The eventual outcome was decided by the CCTV footage.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37We sent that on to the claimant's solicitors
0:07:37 > 0:07:40and suggested they view the footage and decide
0:07:40 > 0:07:44whether they still wanted to progress with their claim.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46We have not heard back from them since.
0:07:47 > 0:07:51Claims like this are ultimately paid for by the consumer
0:07:51 > 0:07:54from the money they've handed over for their tickets.
0:07:54 > 0:07:58The bus company doesn't take it lightly.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00In the event that this claim was pursued further
0:08:00 > 0:08:03and they decided that our repudiation was not accepted,
0:08:03 > 0:08:08we would have brought this case to trial, definitely, through the civil courts
0:08:08 > 0:08:12and we probably would have sent our information on to the police,
0:08:12 > 0:08:16and asked them if they would consider prosecuting the claimant in this occasion.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25An eagle-eyed road user disputes the facts.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28Why are you saying three injured parties?
0:08:28 > 0:08:30There were only two people in the other car.
0:08:30 > 0:08:34And IFED sees potentially case-closing evidence.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37We seized a number of handwritten documents which are basically
0:08:37 > 0:08:39an outline of the accident.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46Look at this mess.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48Mr Parker, on the left,
0:08:48 > 0:08:51has just ploughed his vehicle into the back of the red car.
0:08:52 > 0:08:54He came out the car. I got out the car,
0:08:54 > 0:08:56looked at the back of his car to see the damage,
0:08:56 > 0:08:59looked at the front of my car to see the damage.
0:08:59 > 0:09:03It was a classic rear-end shunt
0:09:03 > 0:09:06that left the smaller red car with some damage.
0:09:07 > 0:09:11I did ask him if he was OK. He said yes. I said sorry.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14What else can you do when you hit someone in the back of the car?
0:09:16 > 0:09:19Mr Parker was happy to take full responsibility for the damage
0:09:19 > 0:09:23so handed his details over to the driver of the red car.
0:09:24 > 0:09:28The claims that we received totalled about £30,000.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32That was made up of claims for the solicitors' costs
0:09:32 > 0:09:35and a very large credit hire claim.
0:09:35 > 0:09:39The vehicle that was involved in the accident was unroadworthy,
0:09:39 > 0:09:41couldn't be driven,
0:09:41 > 0:09:45and they wanted to claim over £8,000 for a replacement vehicle.
0:09:47 > 0:09:49A 30 grand wallop.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53Mr Parker's insurer was facing a very large outlay.
0:09:53 > 0:09:58They decided to contact Mr Parker for more details about the incident.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01I got a phone call from my insurance company
0:10:01 > 0:10:04asking me had I been involved in a traffic accident.
0:10:04 > 0:10:08I said yes. I was at fault because I hit the back of this other car that was stationary.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12The insurer had some bad news.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15Mr Parker was readily taking the blame
0:10:15 > 0:10:17for a much bigger claim than he realised.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20They said, "We don't think this is a straightforward case.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23"They're claiming whiplash injuries against the insurance."
0:10:23 > 0:10:25So I said, "They seemed all right at the time
0:10:25 > 0:10:28"but these things can probably come into effect later."
0:10:28 > 0:10:33Mr Parker took the news well but then the conversation took a turn.
0:10:33 > 0:10:37They said, "Well, it's going to be three injured parties.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40"Are you sure you're not at all injured?
0:10:40 > 0:10:43I said, "I'm not injured but why are you saying three injured parties?
0:10:43 > 0:10:46"There's only two people in the other car."
0:10:46 > 0:10:48"No, no, there was three."
0:10:48 > 0:10:53I said, "There was a driver and his passenger and nobody else in the car."
0:10:53 > 0:10:57A whiplash claim from three people could substantially add
0:10:57 > 0:10:59to the size of the claim.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02Mr Parker's premium was in danger of rocketing.
0:11:04 > 0:11:08It could have been Mr Parker's word against that of the red car driver
0:11:08 > 0:11:11but Mr Parker had an ace up his sleeve.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15"Well, I'm sorry they put a claim in for three people."
0:11:15 > 0:11:17I said, "Well, I'm sorry, it's not."
0:11:17 > 0:11:21"Well, it's your decision, your argument against theirs."
0:11:21 > 0:11:24"No, it's them against my on-board camera."
0:11:25 > 0:11:27To which they replied, "You had it filmed?!"
0:11:29 > 0:11:32Two years earlier, Mr Parker had a small crash.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35Despite no serious dispute as to liability,
0:11:35 > 0:11:40he felt an on-board camera would have provided useful evidence.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43It had recorded his latest crash.
0:11:44 > 0:11:48Understandably, the insurance company were keen to get hold of the footage.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51It would easily solve the dispute about how many people
0:11:51 > 0:11:54had been in the red car at the time of the collision.
0:11:55 > 0:12:00So we contacted him and arranged to collect the footage from him
0:12:00 > 0:12:02which we then viewed when it got back to our offices.
0:12:02 > 0:12:08I was pleasantly surprised to see how clear the footage was.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11Perfectly positioned in the middle of the dashboard,
0:12:11 > 0:12:13the camera was ready to settle the case.
0:12:17 > 0:12:21After the collision, the occupants of the red car emerge.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23One, two.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27Just as Mr Parker had stated,
0:12:27 > 0:12:31there were only two people in the car at the time of the incident.
0:12:31 > 0:12:36And that's really interesting because when the claims were presented to us,
0:12:36 > 0:12:39we actually get claims from three people, including a person
0:12:39 > 0:12:43that was allegedly in the back of the vehicle at the time of the accident.
0:12:43 > 0:12:48So after the driver of the red car had taken a wallop in the rear and driven away,
0:12:48 > 0:12:53he had deviously decided to inflate his insurance claim by inventing an extra passenger.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57But was it that simple?
0:12:57 > 0:13:02Something in the footage suggested to the insurer that the truth was far more sinister.
0:13:02 > 0:13:04They watched the video again.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07When I saw this footage I was quite shocked.
0:13:07 > 0:13:11We could see very clearly then exactly what had happened in the accident.
0:13:13 > 0:13:18This is the footage from Mr Parker's car 40 seconds before impact.
0:13:19 > 0:13:23So what we see in the footage is two vehicles on the roundabout
0:13:23 > 0:13:26very close to each other, unusually close to each other.
0:13:28 > 0:13:30Mr Parker pulls in behind the two cars.
0:13:30 > 0:13:34All three vehicles enter the slip road leading to the dual carriageway.
0:13:38 > 0:13:3920 seconds to impact.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47As the cars approach the dual carriageway,
0:13:47 > 0:13:50the lane they're trying to join is clear of traffic
0:13:50 > 0:13:52so why did this happen?
0:13:54 > 0:13:58As they are all going towards the point where the slip road
0:13:58 > 0:14:01joins the dual carriageway, all of a sudden the car in front,
0:14:01 > 0:14:04the silver car, brakes for absolutely no reason,
0:14:04 > 0:14:09causing the car directly in front of Mr Parker to brake very aggressively
0:14:09 > 0:14:11and Mr Parker went into the rear of that car.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15The insurance company knew what they were looking at.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18It looked like a crash-for-cash attempt.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20It appears the drivers of the silver and red cars
0:14:20 > 0:14:26had been working together in an attempt to make money from the innocent Mr Parker.
0:14:26 > 0:14:30It seemed they'd been using a standard trick of the fraudster,
0:14:30 > 0:14:32the three-car slam-on.
0:14:33 > 0:14:38This is how it works. Two gang cars will drive in tandem.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41After choosing a victim, they move into position.
0:14:41 > 0:14:46Then car 1, the decoy, will slam on its brakes for no reason,
0:14:46 > 0:14:48causing car 2 to react.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51This makes car 2 look innocent to the victim at the rear.
0:14:54 > 0:14:58It seemed Mr Parker had just driven into such a trap.
0:14:58 > 0:15:00I was shocked when we actually saw the footage
0:15:00 > 0:15:04that these people had the audacity to try and target
0:15:04 > 0:15:08an innocent motorist who was just going about his daily business
0:15:08 > 0:15:12and try and cause an accident where he could have been hurt or badly injured.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15I think it's wrong that they should go down this road
0:15:15 > 0:15:18and I think they don't look at the wider picture
0:15:18 > 0:15:22where they actually could cause serious injury. We were both lucky.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24All three of us were lucky in this instance.
0:15:24 > 0:15:28Because of the evidence that Mr Parker had obtained, we were able
0:15:28 > 0:15:32to very quickly, very clearly, reject those claims that had been made.
0:15:33 > 0:15:37Instead of making off with £30,000 for their efforts,
0:15:37 > 0:15:41the driver of the car was given a police caution and didn't receive a penny.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46In Mr Parker, they definitely picked on the wrong individual.
0:15:52 > 0:15:57Insurance fraud is on the rise and if you have insurance of any kind,
0:15:57 > 0:16:01you're footing the bill, but the fraudsters have an ominous enemy.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04IFED is a 35-strong unit that works tirelessly
0:16:04 > 0:16:08to hunt down and prosecute insurance fraudsters
0:16:08 > 0:16:10wherever they may be throughout England and Wales.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14Through a combination of investigation,
0:16:14 > 0:16:19industry connections and surprise, they've made over 300 arrests
0:16:19 > 0:16:22and stopped millions of pounds from going to the criminals,
0:16:22 > 0:16:26money which ultimately goes back in our pockets.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29It's highly likely now if you commit any insurance fraud,
0:16:29 > 0:16:31you will get caught.
0:16:31 > 0:16:33Police! Don't move! Stay where you are.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38It seems the business of crash-for-cash is booming.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40Working closely with the insurers,
0:16:40 > 0:16:43IFED regularly take down these dangerous organised gangs.
0:16:45 > 0:16:49Today IFED has one target, a man suspected of masterminding
0:16:49 > 0:16:53hundreds of thousands of pounds' worth of fraudulent motor vehicle claims.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56The subject we're hopefully going to arrest this morning
0:16:56 > 0:16:59appears to have opened up five different policies
0:16:59 > 0:17:00with the same insurance company
0:17:00 > 0:17:04and then shortly thereafter he's made various claims.
0:17:04 > 0:17:06There is a potential loss of over £200,000,
0:17:06 > 0:17:09when you take into account personal injury claims, etc, etc.
0:17:14 > 0:17:19DC Sibley and the IFED team arrive at the home address of the suspect.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29It's the police. Can you open up?
0:17:29 > 0:17:31Police. Can you open the door, please?
0:17:34 > 0:17:36He can't find the key to open the door!
0:17:40 > 0:17:45Hey. Good morning, sir. You found the keys? My name is DCI...
0:17:46 > 0:17:49The IFED team is granted access to the property
0:17:49 > 0:17:53but the man who has opened the door is not the suspect.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56All right. They were your tenants? And when did those tenants move out?
0:17:56 > 0:18:00The man IFED is talking to owns the house.
0:18:00 > 0:18:05He used to rent the property out to the suspects but has now moved back in.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07Thank you very much. Thanks for your time.
0:18:09 > 0:18:11It wasn't a wasted visit.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13Information found inside the house has provided IFED
0:18:13 > 0:18:16with a new address to visit in their hunt for the suspect.
0:18:18 > 0:18:20What's the postcode for the next address?
0:18:23 > 0:18:24Police officers.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27It's bonus time for IFED.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31I came here looking for one. We've come away with two.
0:18:33 > 0:18:35INDIAN MUSIC PLAYS
0:18:35 > 0:18:38This is the sound of a taus,
0:18:38 > 0:18:41a bow stringed instrument from central and northern India.
0:18:41 > 0:18:46One of the most renowned players of the taus lives in Britain, Ranbir Singh.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49The highly regarded Ranbir is internationally recognised
0:18:49 > 0:18:52for his traditional Indian folk music.
0:18:53 > 0:18:57Like a lot of world-famous musicians, he had a smart car.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01Frustratingly in March 2010,
0:19:01 > 0:19:03the talented Mr Singh had his car stolen.
0:19:05 > 0:19:09The claim was for the theft of his new Audi A5 motorcar.
0:19:09 > 0:19:14Ranbir Singh alleged he was visiting friends down in Southall in Middlesex
0:19:14 > 0:19:17and had been away overnight and had parked the car
0:19:17 > 0:19:19and when he returned, the car had gone.
0:19:22 > 0:19:26An Audi A5 is not the kind of car you want to have nicked.
0:19:26 > 0:19:32An average spec A5 fresh off the forecourt will set you back roughly £30,000.
0:19:34 > 0:19:38The police completed their standard enquiries and they concluded
0:19:38 > 0:19:43it was a genuine claim and therefore we were proceeding toward settlement.
0:19:43 > 0:19:47Singh had only owned the car for four months before it was pinched
0:19:47 > 0:19:50but he was fully insured so he would be back on the road
0:19:50 > 0:19:53as soon as the insurer had checked out the claim.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57On receiving the claim,
0:19:57 > 0:20:00the insurer needed to clear up a couple of things.
0:20:00 > 0:20:03There were some discrepancies in terms of circumstances
0:20:03 > 0:20:05and as often is standard process,
0:20:05 > 0:20:10we sent out an investigator to take a statement from Mr Singh.
0:20:10 > 0:20:15There were some discrepancies between the version that he gave to our investigators
0:20:15 > 0:20:18and the version he gave to us when he actually made the claim
0:20:18 > 0:20:21and they revolved around where the car was parked
0:20:21 > 0:20:25and what he did immediately on discovering the car had been stolen.
0:20:25 > 0:20:30The main discrepancy being in terms of what street he had actually parked the car in.
0:20:30 > 0:20:34An understandable mistake, especially if you don't live in the area.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37There were some concerns, but after doing the initial checks,
0:20:37 > 0:20:40we thought the claim did occur in the manner it was reported,
0:20:40 > 0:20:43so we started to proceed towards settlement.
0:20:45 > 0:20:47A few weeks of paperwork followed,
0:20:47 > 0:20:51by which point the insurer was on the brink of the payout to Singh,
0:20:51 > 0:20:53when out of the blue they got a phone call
0:20:53 > 0:20:56informing them that the stolen Audi had been located.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01Four months after the claim was submitted,
0:21:01 > 0:21:05in August 2010 we received a call from the police, which was unusual.
0:21:05 > 0:21:10The car was stopped in Germany by the border police.
0:21:11 > 0:21:16Great. Ranbir Singh could have his car back. Not yet.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19Something inside the car caused the UK police
0:21:19 > 0:21:23to look more closely into the disappearance of the vehicle.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28There were two guys from Cyprus driving the car
0:21:28 > 0:21:31and they were stopped and they had a handwritten note
0:21:31 > 0:21:33alleging that they had permission to take the car.
0:21:35 > 0:21:39Having learned of the note, the UK police gave the insurer a warning.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42They basically told us to not proceed with payment,
0:21:42 > 0:21:44that Mr Ranbir Singh was under investigation.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50That's because the handwritten note in the car was from Ranbir Singh.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55They took about three months to investigate circumstances
0:21:55 > 0:21:59and in October 2010 Mr Ranbir Singh was arrested.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03Upon his arrest, Singh revealed all.
0:22:04 > 0:22:09Mr Ranbir Singh purchased the vehicle in December 2009
0:22:09 > 0:22:12and almost immediately started to experience financial difficulties,
0:22:12 > 0:22:16was having trouble paying back the finance he had on the car,
0:22:16 > 0:22:20and he alleges that he met somebody that said to him,
0:22:20 > 0:22:22"We can start to help you pay your debts off."
0:22:22 > 0:22:26He paid this unknown individual £7,000,
0:22:26 > 0:22:30the deal being that the individual would arrange for a couple of guys
0:22:30 > 0:22:35to take the car across borders into Europe and make the car vanish.
0:22:35 > 0:22:37Ranbir Singh the musician
0:22:37 > 0:22:40was now Ranbir Singh the insurance fraudster.
0:22:41 > 0:22:45The fallen musician was facing a tough day in court.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48In December 2011, Ranbir Singh was convicted of fraud
0:22:48 > 0:22:50and sentenced to 10 months' imprisonment.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55The unusual twist in the story is that Ranbir Singh
0:22:55 > 0:22:59was a very prominent figure in his local community.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02He's a very highly acclaimed Indian musician.
0:23:03 > 0:23:08For somebody of that standing to attempt insurance fraud is unusual
0:23:08 > 0:23:14but it really does demonstrate that actually it's a lot more prevalent than perhaps people think.
0:23:21 > 0:23:26Today IFED is tracking down a man suspected of making hundreds of thousands of pounds
0:23:26 > 0:23:28out of fraudulent motor insurance claims.
0:23:28 > 0:23:30There is a potential loss of £200,000
0:23:30 > 0:23:35when you take into account personal injury claims, etc, etc.
0:23:35 > 0:23:39IFED found that the suspect no longer lives at the first location visited
0:23:39 > 0:23:42so is following a lead to a new address.
0:23:45 > 0:23:49They have no idea who or what they will find in the house.
0:24:00 > 0:24:01Hello. Good morning.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06Hello. Is your mummy around or daddy?
0:24:08 > 0:24:11IFED can find no sign of an adult presence in the house.
0:24:16 > 0:24:20Hello? Hello. Is your mummy or daddy around? Don't be scared.
0:24:20 > 0:24:22It's the police. Can you open up, please?
0:24:25 > 0:24:28It's the police so can you open the door?
0:24:28 > 0:24:29The minutes tick by.
0:24:29 > 0:24:33The team are still waiting to be given access to the property.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36It's the police. I can see one. She's gone upstairs.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39There are three kids. It's a little girl.
0:24:39 > 0:24:44The longer they wait, the more likely it is that the suspect could destroy potential evidence.
0:24:44 > 0:24:46The sound of a toilet being flushed.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48There's a baby, a toddler and a little girl.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53Hiya. Police officers.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03Hello, there. Good morning, sir.
0:25:03 > 0:25:05From their extensive research,
0:25:05 > 0:25:07IFED know they have found their suspect.
0:25:07 > 0:25:11I'm from the City Police. I'm looking for you.
0:25:11 > 0:25:15I would like to step in and talk to you. Oh! OK.
0:25:15 > 0:25:16I'm going to arrest you, OK?
0:25:16 > 0:25:20You're under arrest in connection with fraudulent insurance policies
0:25:20 > 0:25:24for motor vehicles and subsequent claims made on them.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27I'm arresting you for the prompt and effective investigation of these offences.
0:25:27 > 0:25:29'The suspect has been arrested'
0:25:29 > 0:25:31so we'll do a search now of the property to see
0:25:31 > 0:25:34if we can find any more documentation relevant to the offences.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37He was not particularly happy with me there
0:25:37 > 0:25:41but that's all we can do. We'll see what we can find.
0:25:41 > 0:25:45The suspect wasn't where IFED expected to find him,
0:25:45 > 0:25:48but DC Sibley's team search the house they've been led to.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53Filming access is restricted to the planned raid location.
0:25:55 > 0:25:57Within minutes, the search yields potential evidence.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00We're in one of the main bedrooms at the moment
0:26:00 > 0:26:03and it's just sackfuls of paperwork, documentation,
0:26:03 > 0:26:07quite a lot of it relating to what we're investigating.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10We've seized a number of notebooks with handwritten notes in them
0:26:10 > 0:26:15showing names, addresses of possible claimants.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18We've seized a large number of certificates for motor insurance
0:26:18 > 0:26:20all linked to the index numbers
0:26:20 > 0:26:23and names of the people that have made the claims.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27The search of the main bedroom has become red-hot.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30DC Sibley has some potentially incriminating exhibits in her hands.
0:26:32 > 0:26:38We've seized a number of handwritten documents which are basically an outline of the accident.
0:26:38 > 0:26:42This would be a map of the collision, the roads
0:26:42 > 0:26:45and where the collision took place, showing obviously the roundabout,
0:26:45 > 0:26:49the vehicles involved and the street names
0:26:49 > 0:26:53and actually how the accident happened. This is quite common.
0:26:53 > 0:26:55We find this quite a lot.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58We've found a number of those. Three I've got here.
0:26:58 > 0:27:02The driver details of the third party vehicle, victims' details,
0:27:02 > 0:27:05insurance company details and obviously a full description
0:27:05 > 0:27:08of how the accident happened with a nice little diagram.
0:27:08 > 0:27:12The search of the main bedroom is complete.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15The suspect IFED came for is taken away for further questioning.
0:27:20 > 0:27:21Out of the blue,
0:27:21 > 0:27:24DC Sibley's attention is drawn to another occupant of the house.
0:27:24 > 0:27:26We came here looking for one person
0:27:26 > 0:27:30but during the search, the other male in the premises stated to me
0:27:30 > 0:27:35that the documentation is his, it's in his bag, in his bedroom.
0:27:35 > 0:27:39So because of what we've found, he's been arrested as well
0:27:39 > 0:27:42on suspicion of fraud by false representation.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45We came here looking for one and we've come away with two
0:27:45 > 0:27:49and a lot of information and evidence.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52There is a lot of documentation in there relating to fraud,
0:27:52 > 0:27:55in my opinion, so they'll have a lot of questions to answer.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00IFED has more than the suspect it came for.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03It could be driving away with the evidence it needs
0:28:03 > 0:28:06to seal another case against the menace of insurance fraud.
0:28:11 > 0:28:15Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd