0:00:03 > 0:00:07Insurance fraud in the UK is reaching epidemic levels
0:00:07 > 0:00:09and it's costing us billions of pounds every year.
0:00:11 > 0:00:16Deliberate crashes, bogus personal injury claims, even phantom pets.
0:00:18 > 0:00:22The fraudsters are risking more and more to make a quick killing.
0:00:23 > 0:00:27And every year it's adding up to £50 to your insurance bill.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32Insurers are fighting back,
0:00:32 > 0:00:34armed with covert surveillance systems...
0:00:35 > 0:00:37There's a subject out the vehicle.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40..Sophisticated data-analysis techniques...
0:00:41 > 0:00:43..and highly skilled dedicated police units...
0:00:45 > 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 > 0:00:52All those conmen, scammers and cheats on the fiddle,
0:00:52 > 0:00:55now they're caught in the act...
0:00:55 > 0:00:57and claimed and shamed.
0:01:05 > 0:01:09Today, CCTV catches out a fraudster trying to claim a huge payout
0:01:09 > 0:01:11for an accident that never happened.
0:01:11 > 0:01:15It just makes you think, "Well, this is a clear fabrication."
0:01:15 > 0:01:19There is nothing to suggest this gentleman's injuries have been sustained,
0:01:19 > 0:01:21especially not in the way he has stated.
0:01:21 > 0:01:26A conman who goes on the run is caught by the elite police unit IFED.
0:01:26 > 0:01:34Mr Begum then skipped bail but was later found at his mother's property, hiding in the loft.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37And the Met Traffic Unit challenges a suspect.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39It's not negotiable. You have been arrested
0:01:39 > 0:01:42and you are going to be taken to a police station, OK?
0:01:50 > 0:01:52We Brits love a bus ride.
0:01:52 > 0:01:56We take around five billion bus journeys every year.
0:01:58 > 0:02:02But occasionally a ride down the High Street can turn into a tragedy.
0:02:04 > 0:02:08Lee Ingram of the Transportation Claims Division of the First Group
0:02:08 > 0:02:13worked on the case of a minor collision which had been filmed by the outward-looking onboard camera.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16The bus approaches a stationary Land Rover,
0:02:16 > 0:02:22and as it's passing it manages to catch the driver's side wing mirror with the side of the bus
0:02:22 > 0:02:24and continue on, bending the wing mirror back.
0:02:24 > 0:02:28It doesn't actually cause any damage to the wing mirror.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30The glass comes out of the housing,
0:02:30 > 0:02:35but neither the glass or the housing are damaged and it's just a case of snapping the glass back in.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37There is no damage to the bus at all.
0:02:39 > 0:02:44You will see that the driver of the Land Rover as the bus is passing notices what's happening,
0:02:44 > 0:02:47and he can be seen clearly to be banging on the side of the bus.
0:02:48 > 0:02:52Then someone gets out of the Land Rover and goes to the front of the bus as he stops a bit further up
0:02:52 > 0:02:55and just lets him know what's happened.
0:02:57 > 0:03:02Not long afterwards, the company was presented with a claim for an injury caused by the accident.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05But, rather than coming from the driver of the car,
0:03:05 > 0:03:08the claim was from an unexpected source...
0:03:08 > 0:03:11this passenger on the top floor of the bus.
0:03:11 > 0:03:16His version of events was very different as his phone call to the insurers shows.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19So what happened was the bus driver was driving fine.
0:03:19 > 0:03:24There was a car parked on the double yellow which caused the bus driver to...
0:03:24 > 0:03:28and from what I see he just opened the door, like, you know,
0:03:28 > 0:03:35and he caused the bus driver to brake very sharp, causing me to hit my head and falling down.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38After 45 minutes I was having a lot of back and neck pain.
0:03:38 > 0:03:44I called a cab to hospital where I was advised by the doctor
0:03:44 > 0:03:45that it would be muscle injury.
0:03:45 > 0:03:50The pain has got a lot worse. I can't do anything apart from going to the toilet.
0:03:50 > 0:03:56I'm having difficulty getting dressed, I can't lift my son up, hard to walk up the stairs,
0:03:56 > 0:03:59I can't play sport, I can't do much...
0:03:59 > 0:04:03I have made an appointment with my doctor for stronger painkillers.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05I'm really upset and feel hopeless and depressed
0:04:05 > 0:04:09as I am in a lot of pain and can't do nothing at all.
0:04:09 > 0:04:13In his opinion he has sustained what he considers to be life-changing injuries.
0:04:15 > 0:04:19This meant that the company could be liable for a potentially huge payout.
0:04:22 > 0:04:27He was looking to build a substantial claim for future care,
0:04:27 > 0:04:29care of personal hygiene,
0:04:29 > 0:04:33maybe a future element of childcare and child support.
0:04:34 > 0:04:39A minor prang causing life-changing injuries to one passenger just didn't ring true.
0:04:41 > 0:04:45A full-scale investigation was launched by Lee's team,
0:04:45 > 0:04:48and the CCTV from inside the bus was reviewed.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51It proved to be the killer piece of evidence.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57The claimant can be seen sitting on the top floor of the bus on the left-hand side.
0:04:57 > 0:05:01When I first saw this footage of the passenger in question,
0:05:01 > 0:05:04I did review the footage on several occasions
0:05:04 > 0:05:08because I thought I must have missed the incident he's referring to.
0:05:09 > 0:05:10But he hadn't.
0:05:10 > 0:05:15The reaction of the passengers looking out of the windows shows the exact moment of impact.
0:05:15 > 0:05:19At the same time, the other camera shows exactly what happened to the claimant.
0:05:19 > 0:05:20Nothing.
0:05:20 > 0:05:26The gentleman who is making this claim does not at any stage fall to the floor.
0:05:26 > 0:05:32He stands up, after having travelled to his destination, goes to the top of the stairwell.
0:05:32 > 0:05:34goes down the stairs,
0:05:34 > 0:05:38speaks to the driver as he gets off the bus and then leaves the bus.
0:05:38 > 0:05:42There is no suggestion or any indication of a fall as he is alleging.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45The pictures confirm what they'd suspected all along,
0:05:45 > 0:05:48that he'd never been injured and his claim was a work of fiction.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51It just makes you think, "Well, this is a clear fabrication."
0:05:51 > 0:05:55There is nothing to suggest this gentleman's injuries have been sustained,
0:05:55 > 0:05:58especially not in the way he has stated.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04The video evidence revealed that his story was a complete lie,
0:06:04 > 0:06:08but, as it turned out, the passenger would have found it difficult to pursue his claim.
0:06:08 > 0:06:13As the damage to the Range Rover was negligible and the damage to the bus was non-existent,
0:06:13 > 0:06:18neither the Range Rover's insurers or First Group were claiming off of each other,
0:06:18 > 0:06:20so you had a case where no-one was admitting liability.
0:06:20 > 0:06:25The gentleman in question wasn't sure who he could make a claim off of,
0:06:25 > 0:06:29and I expect when he thought about whether his injuries were genuine or not,
0:06:29 > 0:06:33he decided there was really no-one to pursue this claim against and he wasn't prepared to risk it.
0:06:34 > 0:06:39It was clear that there was no case to answer and the claimant was never heard from again.
0:06:43 > 0:06:44The Met Traffic Unit
0:06:44 > 0:06:47are executing a raid on an accident management company
0:06:47 > 0:06:50where not everything is as it seems.
0:06:50 > 0:06:51You don't work here, do you?
0:06:54 > 0:06:56OK, well, that's not what you said earlier,
0:06:56 > 0:06:58so do you want to wait outside?
0:06:58 > 0:06:59All right.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02And an attempted motor insurance fraud is stopped in its tracks.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06When it's so clear, as on these particular occasions,
0:07:06 > 0:07:07it makes our job very, very easy.
0:07:11 > 0:07:13The Met Traffic Unit
0:07:13 > 0:07:16is headed up by DI Dave Hindmarsh.
0:07:16 > 0:07:20With a growing number of organised gangs using London's roads as their hunting ground,
0:07:20 > 0:07:25DI Hindmarsh and his team are committed to slashing car crime.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28We search for people who are wanted for serious offences.
0:07:28 > 0:07:33My team have made 300 arrests in the last two-and-a-half years
0:07:33 > 0:07:35which is around about 50 operations.
0:07:35 > 0:07:39Every one of those operations will result in a prosecution.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43Their aim is to make our roads as safe as possible.
0:07:44 > 0:07:49You have the most serious type of cash-for-crash which is the induced collision.
0:07:49 > 0:07:55And this is primarily where gang members, because it is organised criminal gangs involved in this,
0:07:55 > 0:07:58will go out on to the roads with two cars...
0:08:01 > 0:08:03They'll drive in tandem, looking for their victim.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06They'll position themselves in front
0:08:06 > 0:08:11and then the decoy car which will be the lead car will brake hard.
0:08:11 > 0:08:16That gives the middle car, the one that they want to be damaged, a reason to brake,
0:08:16 > 0:08:18catch their victim out and they will run into the back.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21And this is a typical cash-for-crash scenario.
0:08:22 > 0:08:26The insurance industry have estimated that it costs them
0:08:26 > 0:08:30somewhere in the region of £392 million per year,
0:08:30 > 0:08:32but I think it's probably bigger than that.
0:08:32 > 0:08:35It is an extremely dangerous way of earning some money,
0:08:35 > 0:08:39because you are putting innocent members of the public at risk.
0:08:40 > 0:08:45Intelligence has led DI Dave Hindmarsh and his team to the home of a suspect,
0:08:45 > 0:08:48thought to be connected to a case of crash-for-cash.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52We're just on our way to execute a search warrant at an address
0:08:52 > 0:08:54on a person
0:08:54 > 0:08:58that we believe has been involved in at least two induced collisions.
0:08:58 > 0:09:04The intelligence we have is this person's had two crashes all with similar circumstances
0:09:04 > 0:09:06within the last year,
0:09:06 > 0:09:15and there's some evidence that suspects us to believe that he's been putting through false claims,
0:09:15 > 0:09:17so we're just arriving now at...
0:09:20 > 0:09:24The team are out at the break of dawn so they can maintain the element of surprise.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27As they approach the house, they cover all exits.
0:09:27 > 0:09:29The kitchen light's on, Roger.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31Who's there? It's the police.
0:09:31 > 0:09:33Do you want to come in? Yes, please.
0:09:34 > 0:09:38Good morning. I'm DC Roger Crawley from the Metropolitan Police Specialist Crimes Operation.
0:09:38 > 0:09:43I'd like to speak to you about two induced collisions that occurred last year,
0:09:43 > 0:09:48accidents in which I believe you were involved and which I believe were deliberately staged.
0:09:48 > 0:09:52I'd like to come in and speak to you. I've got a search warrant here to search your premises.
0:09:52 > 0:09:56The team is let into the house and they explain what's going to happen.
0:09:56 > 0:10:03OK. What we're going to be searching for is documentation in relation to that collision,
0:10:03 > 0:10:09passports, any other documentation, mobile phones that may assist me with my investigation.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11One thing I don't understand...
0:10:11 > 0:10:16you are to investigate had the accident been caused deliberately?
0:10:16 > 0:10:18Yeah, that's right. OK, that's what you are here for? That's right.
0:10:18 > 0:10:22I suspect they are deliberately staged accidents. OK.
0:10:22 > 0:10:27Well, I am driving since eight years in this country and I've never, ever been involved in any accident,
0:10:27 > 0:10:30except these two accidents that happened last year.
0:10:30 > 0:10:32After initially querying the situation,
0:10:32 > 0:10:36the suspect finally indicates where they can find the documentation they need.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40There are a set of documents over there. You can have a look.
0:10:40 > 0:10:42OK? There are all the documents.
0:10:42 > 0:10:48As for the accident concerned, of course I drive on the road...
0:10:48 > 0:10:50My suggestion now is that he's arrested.
0:10:50 > 0:10:54The team confer and make the decision to arrest the suspect.
0:10:54 > 0:10:55OK, you're under arrest.
0:10:55 > 0:10:59You do not have to say anything but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned
0:10:59 > 0:11:02something which you later rely on in court. Anything you say may be given in evidence.
0:11:02 > 0:11:03Do you understand that?
0:11:03 > 0:11:05What are you doing to me?
0:11:05 > 0:11:09A formal interview will take place at a police station,
0:11:09 > 0:11:12but the suspect wants to discuss the allegations there and then.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22You will be given your opportunity when we get down to the police station...
0:11:22 > 0:11:23Yeah, I understand.
0:11:23 > 0:11:27I will interview you to give your version of events. And if you wish to tell me all about...
0:11:27 > 0:11:31The team needs to avoid a long discussion, so they're not wasting valuable time.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34It's not negotiable. You have been arrested
0:11:34 > 0:11:38and you are going to be taken to a police station, OK?
0:11:38 > 0:11:40But I don't understand.
0:11:40 > 0:11:42You can take me to the police station, I don't mind,
0:11:42 > 0:11:45because I know I'm right, so I don't need to clear up anything.
0:11:45 > 0:11:50Listen to me. The officer explained why you've been arrested, OK?
0:11:50 > 0:11:53You will be going to the police station, so you might as well just sit there
0:11:53 > 0:11:56until we've finished doing the search, we'll take you down to the police station,
0:11:56 > 0:11:59then everything will be explained to you fully.
0:11:59 > 0:12:03Unexpectedly, the suspect then questions whether they are who they say they are.
0:12:03 > 0:12:05Are you police, really?
0:12:05 > 0:12:09We've showed you our warrant cards. I've showed you my warrant card. Do you want to see it again?
0:12:09 > 0:12:13Please. I'll show it to you again. But you're arresting me for something I never done.
0:12:13 > 0:12:15It's probably best if you just be quiet.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19It seems like the suspect is using delaying tactics
0:12:19 > 0:12:25and the interruption means that over 20 minutes have passed before the search finally gets underway.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29We've entered the premises using the search warrant.
0:12:29 > 0:12:33The man in the living room has now been arrested
0:12:33 > 0:12:36for believed submitting fraudulent personal injury claims.
0:12:36 > 0:12:40He's going to be coming back to the police station with us where he'll be interviewed formally.
0:12:40 > 0:12:46We're basically looking for paperwork pertaining to insurance claims, insurance certificates,
0:12:46 > 0:12:48documentation for specific vehicles.
0:12:49 > 0:12:55Eventually they conclude the search and ready to take the suspect away and remove the potential evidence.
0:12:55 > 0:12:59So if you just do as we say then there'll be no need to handcuff you. All right? Brilliant.
0:13:01 > 0:13:05We came looking for paperwork for insurance claims,
0:13:05 > 0:13:10and having had a look through the documentation briefly, that's what we've got.
0:13:10 > 0:13:14So certainly the objective today was to find some paperwork, which we have,
0:13:14 > 0:13:19and to arrest the person who's been arrested. So I think the objective has been completed.
0:13:23 > 0:13:28According to one phone company, 700,000 mobiles are lost or stolen every year.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31Luckily, most gadgets are covered by household insurance.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35But with so many claims in the system,
0:13:35 > 0:13:39it's easy to believe that some fraudulent ones could slip through unnoticed.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42At least that's what Fazal Begum thought.
0:13:42 > 0:13:46He submitted multiple claims from people who didn't exist.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50Tom Gardiner from Aviva worked on the case.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55In the first place our systems created an alert.
0:13:55 > 0:14:01The alert was produced because Begum had submitted two similar claims close together.
0:14:01 > 0:14:06Although he'd used different names, the claims handlers identified a match in other personal details.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11An investigation was launched
0:14:11 > 0:14:15and recordings of the phone calls from the two similar claims were retrieved.
0:14:15 > 0:14:17What they found confirmed their suspicions.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20When they listened to calls, it was quite clear
0:14:20 > 0:14:23that there were a number of claims being reported by the same person.
0:14:23 > 0:14:25How can I help?
0:14:25 > 0:14:27It's William Daniels here.
0:14:27 > 0:14:31I'm calling regarding the settlement of my claim.
0:14:31 > 0:14:33Have you got your claim number there, sir?
0:14:33 > 0:14:39Yes. It's 11-Mike-Hotel-Oscar-015344.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42And if you could just confirm for me your full name?
0:14:42 > 0:14:45Yes, it's Mr Fabiano Ferria.
0:14:45 > 0:14:47If I could take your policy number?
0:14:47 > 0:14:52It's Mike-Hotel-Oscar-051140518.
0:14:54 > 0:14:59The claims handlers passed on their findings to Aviva's Claims Fraud Intelligence Team.
0:14:59 > 0:15:00The voice
0:15:00 > 0:15:02of Mr Begum was very distinctive.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05You could tell it was the same person in each call.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09In the phone calls from the increasing familiar voice,
0:15:09 > 0:15:14the caller also noted a keen interest in the exact terms and conditions of the policies.
0:15:14 > 0:15:21The other question I have, in the policy, "theft from unattended road vehicles",
0:15:21 > 0:15:25does that mean if somebody breaks into a car and steals something
0:15:25 > 0:15:30that the limit would be 1,500? That's right, yeah.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33Because I reported a claim yesterday... Right.
0:15:33 > 0:15:37The items that were stolen are over that limit.
0:15:38 > 0:15:42The concern was that these two claims were the tip of the iceberg.
0:15:42 > 0:15:44And so it proved
0:15:44 > 0:15:48when the investigation turned up an additional 20 household insurance claims
0:15:48 > 0:15:50which were very similar to the first two.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53Although most of the claims originated from Walsall,
0:15:53 > 0:15:55proving further links was a challenge.
0:15:55 > 0:15:57All of the names and addresses were different,
0:15:57 > 0:16:01so it's difficult to show that it was one person behind these.
0:16:01 > 0:16:06They went back to the calls from these cases too. They provided damning evidence.
0:16:06 > 0:16:11Listening to the call recordings, it was quite clear that this was the same gentleman involved,
0:16:11 > 0:16:14so we could try and link all 20 cases.
0:16:15 > 0:16:21It was obvious that they'd uncovered a complex web of fake identities all invented by one man.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24The people supposedly making the claims didn't exist.
0:16:24 > 0:16:30Mr Begum or Alexander Brazil and Dr Shah, as he was also known,
0:16:30 > 0:16:35submitted over 22 claims in total within a period of several months.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38Another giveaway was that the claims were all very similar.
0:16:38 > 0:16:44Typically his claims were for mobile devices, tablets and laptops,
0:16:44 > 0:16:49which he claimed had been left at takeaways or stolen on trains.
0:16:49 > 0:16:53The claims were generally supported by a lot of documentation,
0:16:53 > 0:16:59but our investigations revealed that most of those were faked or fraudulent.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02Each claim was typically for several thousand pounds.
0:17:02 > 0:17:08In total he submitted 22 claims with a value of over £50,000.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12All the evidence pointed to fraud on a massive scale
0:17:12 > 0:17:15and the company contacted the Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department.
0:17:15 > 0:17:20The IFED team had initially been investigating Begum because of another lead
0:17:20 > 0:17:23and it appeared that his fanciful storytelling had moved up a gear.
0:17:23 > 0:17:27DC Craig Mullish worked on the case.
0:17:27 > 0:17:32He reported that his son was very violently robbed at one of the London railway stations,
0:17:32 > 0:17:35that needed medical treatment.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38The allegations made
0:17:38 > 0:17:41were investigated by the British Transport Police,
0:17:41 > 0:17:45and it very quickly came to light that the story we were told was not accurate
0:17:45 > 0:17:47and alarm bells were ringing.
0:17:48 > 0:17:54This led the IFED team to work with Aviva to investigate other insurance claims made by Fazal Begum.
0:17:54 > 0:18:00They revealed evidence of a pattern of fraudulent behaviour and they decided to take action.
0:18:00 > 0:18:06They obtained a warrant for Mr Begum's arrest and carried out a raid on his property.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09There was no cooperation and we had to force entry.
0:18:09 > 0:18:15Aviva wasn't expecting to hear from him again, but several days later he got in contact.
0:18:15 > 0:18:21Astonishingly, he telephoned Aviva again to make a claim for the damage to his front door
0:18:21 > 0:18:24that IFED had caused whilst raiding the property.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27Basically our front door was damaged.
0:18:27 > 0:18:34There was a law-enforcement agency who forced entry into our property for something which I don't know...
0:18:35 > 0:18:40Despite the fact that the door had been broken as a result of his fraudulent behaviour,
0:18:40 > 0:18:42he still thought he deserved a payout.
0:18:42 > 0:18:46I think the fact that Mr Begum actually claimed for the damage to his door
0:18:46 > 0:18:51just showed the audacity of the fraud.
0:18:51 > 0:18:57There really is no bounds to what this man will do to submit and claim fraudulent monies
0:18:57 > 0:18:59from the insurance companies.
0:18:59 > 0:19:03But the insurer was on to him and the claim went nowhere.
0:19:03 > 0:19:08At this point Fazal Begum finally realised that the game was up and he went on the run.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11Unfortunately for him he made a poor choice of hiding place.
0:19:11 > 0:19:18Mr Begum then skipped bail but was later found at his mother's property, hiding in the loft.
0:19:20 > 0:19:25Fazal Begum was bought to trial and the weight of evidence meant that the outcome was never in doubt.
0:19:25 > 0:19:31Mr Begum was charged with 14 counts of fraud and sentenced to two years in prison
0:19:31 > 0:19:35which we felt was a fair and proportionate sentence.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38This is a great result, it gives a great message out
0:19:38 > 0:19:43that neither the insurance industry not IFED will tolerate insurance fraud
0:19:43 > 0:19:48and this, I'm sure, will be a deterrent to any future fraudster out there
0:19:48 > 0:19:52that thinks insurance fraud is an easy touch. It clearly isn't.
0:19:56 > 0:20:00Roundabouts are statistically safer than other types of intersection,
0:20:00 > 0:20:02but they still see their fair share of accidents.
0:20:02 > 0:20:07Susan Evans of insurers Admiral worked on a case involving a policyholder
0:20:07 > 0:20:09who'd been involved in one such collision.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12She said she was approaching a mini roundabout,
0:20:12 > 0:20:14thought she had enough time to clear the mini roundabout
0:20:14 > 0:20:21before the other car made its turn, but unfortunately she didn't and it resulted in a collision.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24The accident resulted in damage to both vehicles
0:20:24 > 0:20:27and the driver of the other car decided to pursue a claim.
0:20:27 > 0:20:32It was alleged that there were actually two passengers within that car as well
0:20:32 > 0:20:36and that both passengers had unfortunately been injured in the incident.
0:20:36 > 0:20:41In line with the claims procedure, specific details of the injuries were provided.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45The claims that we were faced with from the alleged passengers in the vehicle
0:20:45 > 0:20:51were whiplash claims that were around about £2,000 apiece in terms of value.
0:20:52 > 0:20:56But the collision took place here on a bustling High Street during the day
0:20:56 > 0:20:59which means one thing - eyewitnesses.
0:20:59 > 0:21:05One actually came forward and said they were adamant that there was no passengers in the vehicle
0:21:05 > 0:21:08that our policyholder had collided with,
0:21:08 > 0:21:13so we had a written statement to confirm there was nobody in that car apart from the driver.
0:21:14 > 0:21:19Alarm bells started to ring and the insurer decided that further investigation was needed,
0:21:19 > 0:21:23so they went through the CCTV they'd sourced from the local council.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26The footage reveals a very different version of events.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29The claimant can be seen driving down towards the mini roundabout,
0:21:29 > 0:21:32whilst the policy holder approaches from the other direction
0:21:32 > 0:21:33at the bottom of frame.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35The claimant starts to turn right
0:21:35 > 0:21:37but the policyholder is going straight on
0:21:37 > 0:21:38and they collide.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41What they saw next proved to be a crucial piece of evidence.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44They both exit their vehicle, examine the damage
0:21:44 > 0:21:45and exchange details.
0:21:45 > 0:21:49But at no point does anyone else get out of the claimant's car.
0:21:49 > 0:21:54If we look carefully at the footage, I think anyone involved in an incident of that nature
0:21:54 > 0:21:58is probably going to get out of the vehicle, have a look at the damage,
0:21:58 > 0:22:02perhaps assist the driver to try and get details from the other party.
0:22:02 > 0:22:06You don't see any passengers exiting from the car whatsoever.
0:22:07 > 0:22:11The CCTV proved that there was only one person in the car
0:22:11 > 0:22:15and that the claim for two personal-injury payouts was a ploy to get more money.
0:22:15 > 0:22:19Admiral confronted the claimant's solicitors with the evidence.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23They were clearly quite shocked at the start,
0:22:23 > 0:22:28but being faced with the irresistible evidence that the CCTV footage presented,
0:22:28 > 0:22:30the claims were dropped immediately.
0:22:30 > 0:22:34If the claimant thought they could walk away with money they didn't deserve, they were wrong.
0:22:34 > 0:22:39There are penalties that they will have to pay. They will be recorded on a database
0:22:39 > 0:22:44and within the background you also have the fact that the police might pick it up as a prosecution.
0:22:44 > 0:22:49It's estimated that there are almost two million CCTV cameras in the UK,
0:22:49 > 0:22:53which means that fraudsters are increasingly being caught out by film evidence.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56When it's so clear, as on these particular occasions,
0:22:56 > 0:23:01and there's clear evidence that those people are not in the car, it makes our job very, very easy.
0:23:05 > 0:23:08The Met Traffic Unit are on the road again,
0:23:08 > 0:23:13this time to execute a raid on a company they believe helps organise crash-for-cash collisions
0:23:13 > 0:23:15to create fake insurance claims.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18This morning we're going down to an accident management company.
0:23:18 > 0:23:24We've got evidence which suggests that the company have been involved in two induced collisions,
0:23:24 > 0:23:30and part of today is to take all of their paperwork and to sift through it at a later stage
0:23:30 > 0:23:33to identify other induced collisions,
0:23:33 > 0:23:39so at this stage we're not really sure. It could just be as simple as these two collisions.
0:23:39 > 0:23:43However, I suspect that we'll find evidence relating to more.
0:23:44 > 0:23:49The team arrives at the scene and approach the company's rented office.
0:23:49 > 0:23:51They're working against the clock.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54But first there's the small matter of gaining access.
0:23:54 > 0:23:59There's no-one here which is typical of accident management companies when we arrive.
0:23:59 > 0:24:04The two options we have is we'll try and get hold of the owner, get him to come round and open up.
0:24:04 > 0:24:10If not, we'll open up ourselves. We shan't be leaving without what we came for.
0:24:11 > 0:24:15They attempt to make contact with the owner of the company, but draw a blank.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19Finally, they get through to the landlord of the property.
0:24:19 > 0:24:23Hello, sir. My name's Andy Collings. I'm a detective constable who works for the Metropolitan Police.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26The owner of the company is proving hard to track down.
0:24:26 > 0:24:30But the landlord should be able to let DI Hindmarsh and his team into the office.
0:24:30 > 0:24:33Could you get yourself down here as soon as possible?
0:24:34 > 0:24:36Just then a third party approaches the officers.
0:24:36 > 0:24:38Come with me and speak to my colleague, please.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45I'm just wondering how you suddenly turned up, that's all.
0:24:45 > 0:24:47I'm wondering how you just suddenly appeared.
0:24:47 > 0:24:49No, because, yesterday, like, I was at the office. Yeah.
0:24:49 > 0:24:54He claims not to be an employee, but has come to pick up some paperwork.
0:24:54 > 0:24:58The Met Traffic Unit is no closer to gaining entry,
0:24:58 > 0:25:01but then the landlord of the property arrives in person.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04Got them? I've got a door key, but I don't have a shutter key.
0:25:04 > 0:25:05Oh, dear!
0:25:05 > 0:25:08He's nothing to do with the company under investigation
0:25:08 > 0:25:11and cooperates with the team to try and gain access to the office.
0:25:11 > 0:25:12Have we got a bar?
0:25:13 > 0:25:15Here we are, the man with the bar!
0:25:20 > 0:25:23Eventually, the landlord finds a shortcut.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25Seriously?
0:25:26 > 0:25:29You done that on purpose!
0:25:32 > 0:25:34And finally they're in.
0:25:34 > 0:25:34Thank you.
0:25:36 > 0:25:40The search is interrupted by the man they first spoke to on the street.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42He's followed them into the office.
0:25:42 > 0:25:44If you want to wait outside...
0:25:44 > 0:25:47You don't work here, do you?
0:25:47 > 0:25:50No, but I do look after the place occasionally.
0:25:50 > 0:25:52OK, well, that's not what you said earlier,
0:25:52 > 0:25:54so do you want to wait outside?
0:25:54 > 0:25:55All right.
0:25:55 > 0:25:57You said you came here to collect papers from...
0:25:57 > 0:26:02For the... Can you just wait outside, yeah? OK.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05At last they're able to search the company office in earnest.
0:26:05 > 0:26:10Although the team is investigating a small number of specific incidents,
0:26:10 > 0:26:12they suspect that the company is connected to more,
0:26:12 > 0:26:14and they hope to find evidence of this.
0:26:14 > 0:26:20We're just going through all the desks in here looking for fraudulent motor insurance claims.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23We have certain collisions, accidents that we know about that have happened
0:26:23 > 0:26:28that we will need the paperwork for
0:26:28 > 0:26:31and hopefully we'll find them when we go through it more thoroughly,
0:26:31 > 0:26:32but at this stage we can take everything
0:26:32 > 0:26:35and we can investigate the claims and see if they may be suspect as well.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40Before long the team makes an interesting discovery.
0:26:40 > 0:26:44Some stuff has been found in the bin over there with some dates from an insurance company
0:26:44 > 0:26:47that have written to this company questioning some claims that have been made,
0:26:47 > 0:26:50and that's ended up in the bin, so...
0:26:50 > 0:26:55we'll have to look at that and see what their concerns were and speak with that insurance company,
0:26:55 > 0:26:58and obviously investigate that collision as well.
0:26:58 > 0:27:04You find things that you're looking for and it's just like putting together a jigsaw, really, I suppose.
0:27:05 > 0:27:09As the potential evidence is bagged and recorded, another discovery is made.
0:27:09 > 0:27:15The guy that turned up first thing this morning that was denying actually working here,
0:27:15 > 0:27:19this is actually his desk here so he does actually work here.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23It's not just paperwork that the team is after.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26The company's computer equipment will be examined too.
0:27:27 > 0:27:34The company is now closed because we've taken away all their computers and all their documentation,
0:27:34 > 0:27:37so it will be difficult for them to continue practising.
0:27:37 > 0:27:42In relation to further inquiries into this matter, it's an ongoing investigation
0:27:42 > 0:27:47and there is likely that we'll be looking to execute further search warrants
0:27:47 > 0:27:50and hopefully discover more evidence of any wrongdoing.
0:27:50 > 0:27:55The Met Traffic Unit is dedicated to making our roads as safe as possible,
0:27:55 > 0:27:59and every fraudster they take down moves them one step closer to that goal.
0:28:05 > 0:28:09Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd