0:00:02 > 0:00:06Insurance fraud in the UK has hit epidemic levels.
0:00:06 > 0:00:09It's costing us over £2 billion every year.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12That's almost £6 million every day.
0:00:12 > 0:00:13Whoa!
0:00:13 > 0:00:19Deliberate crashes, bogus personal injuries, even phantom pets.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22The fraudsters are risking more and more to make a quick killing.
0:00:22 > 0:00:26And every year, it's adding over £50 to your insurance bill.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30But insurers are fighting back,
0:00:30 > 0:00:33exposing 15 fake claims every hour.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35Armed with covert surveillance systems...
0:00:35 > 0:00:38There's the subject out the vehicle.
0:00:38 > 0:00:40..sophisticated data analysis techniques...
0:00:42 > 0:00:44..and a highly-skilled, dedicated police unit...
0:00:45 > 0:00:47Police! Don't move, stay where you are!
0:00:47 > 0:00:49..they're catching the criminals red-handed.
0:00:49 > 0:00:51Don't lie to us.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54All those con men, scammers and cheats on the fiddle
0:00:54 > 0:00:56are now caught in the act,
0:00:56 > 0:00:58and claimed and shamed.
0:01:06 > 0:01:10Today, the jaw-dropping story of how far one man was prepared
0:01:10 > 0:01:14to go in order to defraud an insurance company...
0:01:14 > 0:01:16In order for his biggest fraud
0:01:16 > 0:01:17to be successful
0:01:17 > 0:01:19he's had to kill a man.
0:01:19 > 0:01:23..the solicitor who thought she was above the law but lost everything...
0:01:23 > 0:01:27She's been struck off. All this just demonstrates was how greedy she was.
0:01:27 > 0:01:31..and IFED carry out raids in 20 different locations
0:01:31 > 0:01:34in their biggest operation this year.
0:01:34 > 0:01:35I'm Aman Taylor, a police officer.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38Stop what you're doing and take your hands off the computer.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46With millions of pounds lost every day in the UK
0:01:46 > 0:01:49through insurance fraud, there are many stories of people
0:01:49 > 0:01:50going to extraordinary lengths
0:01:50 > 0:01:52in order to make a claim.
0:01:52 > 0:01:56But in 2012, West Midlands Police dealt with a case of fraud
0:01:56 > 0:01:58which defied belief.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01Detective Inspector Warren Hinds was the senior officer
0:02:01 > 0:02:02on the investigation.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08On the morning of 28 November 2012, West Midlands Police
0:02:08 > 0:02:11were alerted that there was a body floating in this one pool
0:02:11 > 0:02:16in Sandwell Valley Country Park, which is a large park
0:02:16 > 0:02:18just outside West Bromwich in Birmingham.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22Um, the body appeared to be of a...you know,
0:02:22 > 0:02:24early, middle-aged Asian male.
0:02:24 > 0:02:28And he'd died as a result of a significant wound to his throat.
0:02:29 > 0:02:33An autopsy revealed that this was anything but an accident,
0:02:33 > 0:02:35and so, West Midlands police found themselves dealing with
0:02:35 > 0:02:37a murder case.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39The first step was to identify the victim.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42Jasbir Bains was a man who was born and brought up
0:02:42 > 0:02:45in the West Bromwich area close to where he met his death.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48Fair to say, he'd probably had a few ups and downs in his life,
0:02:48 > 0:02:52and, sometime in 2006, he emigrated to Canada.
0:02:52 > 0:02:56Didn't return to England till the tail end of 2011.
0:02:57 > 0:02:58I mean, he'd always worked,
0:02:58 > 0:03:02but towards the end of his life he was leading a transient existence.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04He was of no fixed abode.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07He was dabbling in drugs, drinking too much.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10Basically, he needed to get himself sorted out.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13It's fair to say that Jasbir Singh had his problems,
0:03:13 > 0:03:16but that didn't explain why anyone would want to take his life.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19There was one person that really was of interest to me,
0:03:19 > 0:03:21and that was a chap called Jamie Rai.
0:03:21 > 0:03:25What our investigations revealed was that in 2006, Jasbir,
0:03:25 > 0:03:28our victim, had borrowed £14,000 off Jamie Rai,
0:03:28 > 0:03:30who was a school friend.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32They'd grown up in the local area together.
0:03:32 > 0:03:36The intention was that that £14,000 debt would be paid back
0:03:36 > 0:03:38in the near future...
0:03:38 > 0:03:40but it wasn't.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42Jasbir had emigrated to Canada to be with his family
0:03:42 > 0:03:44and never paid Jamie Rai any of the money back.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49Jamie Rai, towards the end of 2012, also,
0:03:49 > 0:03:53his own financial situation was rapidly deteriorating.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56And he was a man that needed some money.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00With Rai in financial difficulty and still owed a lot of money
0:04:00 > 0:04:02by Jasbir, it was certainly possible
0:04:02 > 0:04:05that there could be some bad feelings.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08But what detectives discovered next turned Rai into a prime suspect.
0:04:10 > 0:04:14Jamie Rai had assumed our victim's identity when he left for Canada.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18While he had assumed his identity, he perpetrated a number of frauds.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21One was a mortgage fraud in which...which enabled him
0:04:21 > 0:04:23to buy a house in West Bromwich.
0:04:23 > 0:04:27Um, but, interestingly, he also took out a life insurance policy,
0:04:27 > 0:04:31which, if it'd paid out, would have benefited Jamie Rai's children
0:04:31 > 0:04:33to the sum of just under £320,000.
0:04:35 > 0:04:37It was a chilling discovery.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39And with a fraudulent life insurance policy which paid out
0:04:39 > 0:04:44over £300,000 to Rai's children in the event of Jasbir's death,
0:04:44 > 0:04:46it's an understatement to say that the evidence was
0:04:46 > 0:04:48stacked against him.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51Jamie Rai's a persistent fraudster really.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54But most of his offending was fairly low level really.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57This life insurance policy that he'd taken out
0:04:57 > 0:05:00really would have been the equivalent of a lottery win to him.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02It was in a completely different league.
0:05:03 > 0:05:07But it's fair to say, with that and the house that he'd purchased,
0:05:07 > 0:05:10and obviously, the other policies of insurance that he'd taken out
0:05:10 > 0:05:13in relation to the house, had he been successful,
0:05:13 > 0:05:16he'd have benefited to just over £370,000.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18He would have been quite a wealthy man.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21There was no disputing that Rai had a motive,
0:05:21 > 0:05:24and, as West Midlands Police continued to investigate the case,
0:05:24 > 0:05:28everything pointed to Rai being the culprit of this despicable crime.
0:05:28 > 0:05:33On the night of the 27th November, Jamie Rai had CCTV cameras
0:05:33 > 0:05:34at the front and rear of his house.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37Now, those would show who was coming and going from his address.
0:05:37 > 0:05:41Um, and, just after 6.30 in the evening,
0:05:41 > 0:05:44the camera on the front of the house gets turned away.
0:05:44 > 0:05:49Now, that becomes important later because his assertion,
0:05:49 > 0:05:51once he was arrested, was that he was at home all night.
0:05:51 > 0:05:52He hadn't actually been out.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56And when the police checked Rai's mobile phone records
0:05:56 > 0:05:58it confirmed the police's suspicions.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02Jamie Rai contacted Jasbir,
0:06:02 > 0:06:06and lured him during the course of a couple of phone calls
0:06:06 > 0:06:07and a number of text messages
0:06:07 > 0:06:09to Sandwell Valley Country Park.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14The most logical route is down a one-way street
0:06:14 > 0:06:15and down a little alleyway.
0:06:15 > 0:06:19And the only conclusion you can draw from that is that Jasbir
0:06:19 > 0:06:22has been lured to this remote location by somebody that he
0:06:22 > 0:06:24knows and somebody that he thinks he can trust.
0:06:24 > 0:06:26That person was Jamie Rai.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31With the evidence piling up against Rai,
0:06:31 > 0:06:34West Midlands Police were certain they had their man.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37The evidence that we had was all circumstantial, however,
0:06:37 > 0:06:39when you take it all together,
0:06:39 > 0:06:42it presents a very, very compelling picture.
0:06:43 > 0:06:47The last phone call that ever was received by our victim was made
0:06:47 > 0:06:50by a telephone that Jamie Rai had total control of.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53We had the debt from 2006,
0:06:53 > 0:06:58we had the mortgage fraud perpetrated in the victim's name,
0:06:58 > 0:07:01and also, a big one was the life insurance policy.
0:07:01 > 0:07:05Jamie Rai stood to benefit to the tune of just under £320,000
0:07:05 > 0:07:07in the advent of Jasbir's death.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11And that, to my mind, was a really powerful motive for murder.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16Incredibly, greed had led a man to kill a childhood friend
0:07:16 > 0:07:19for the sake of a few hundred thousand pounds.
0:07:19 > 0:07:23And, in April 2012, Jamie Rai was arrested for fraud
0:07:23 > 0:07:25and the murder of Jasbir Singh.
0:07:26 > 0:07:30Jamie Rai stood trial at the start of 2014 at Wolverhampton Crown Court.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34At the end of the trial the presiding judge
0:07:34 > 0:07:38said just what a cold-hearted, callous and brutal killing this was.
0:07:38 > 0:07:40The sentence that Jamie Rai was given was life imprisonment,
0:07:40 > 0:07:43and the minimum term he would have to serve before being
0:07:43 > 0:07:46eligible for parole was 27 years.
0:07:46 > 0:07:50The judge also gave him 4½ years to run alongside that life sentence
0:07:50 > 0:07:51for the fraud act offences.
0:07:51 > 0:07:55So, a significant sentence but one that's wholly right
0:07:55 > 0:07:56in the circumstances.
0:07:57 > 0:08:01I do feel quite satisfied that Jamie Rai is now going to be accountable
0:08:01 > 0:08:05for his actions and spend a lot of time in prison as a result.
0:08:05 > 0:08:06It's the right place for him to be.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11It's hard to believe that a brutal murder could be connected with
0:08:11 > 0:08:15insurance fraud, but this case demonstrates the extreme lengths
0:08:15 > 0:08:17that some people are prepared to go to.
0:08:17 > 0:08:22What sets Jamie Rai apart from your average fraudster is that he's
0:08:22 > 0:08:25sort of taken the next step up, if you like.
0:08:25 > 0:08:30Um, in order for his biggest fraud to be successful,
0:08:30 > 0:08:32he's had to kill a man.
0:08:32 > 0:08:35That would take a certain amount of planning, wouldn't it?
0:08:35 > 0:08:37Clearly, he has planned the murder.
0:08:38 > 0:08:42Clearly, he had planned to claim on the life insurance policy.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45I guess at the time that he'd gone through with it all, he didn't expect
0:08:45 > 0:08:48to be stood at Wolverhampton Crown Court being sentenced to
0:08:48 > 0:08:49life imprisonment.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54Although this is a very unusual case, Warren is keen to point out
0:08:54 > 0:08:58that any type of fraud can result in a brush with the law.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01There's a bit of a myth generally amongst people who perpetrate fraud
0:09:01 > 0:09:05that police aren't interested, that we...
0:09:05 > 0:09:07You know, if anybody reports fraud to us,
0:09:07 > 0:09:10we sort of encourage them to go to the bank and report it there,
0:09:10 > 0:09:11and the bank will do their investigations -
0:09:11 > 0:09:13nothing could be further from the truth.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16Fraud's a crime, and the police are very interested in it.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23Still to come, dodgy driving.
0:09:23 > 0:09:25It's a very dangerous manoeuvre, and it's also not fair
0:09:25 > 0:09:27then to say that the bus has drifted into you.
0:09:27 > 0:09:31And IFED get their hands on some high-octane evidence.
0:09:38 > 0:09:40Insurance fraud is nothing new,
0:09:40 > 0:09:43and is committed by people from all walks of life.
0:09:43 > 0:09:45However, there are some fraudsters who you really think
0:09:45 > 0:09:46would know better.
0:09:47 > 0:09:52Back in 2004, Allianz dealt with a case that ended up having lifelong
0:09:52 > 0:09:55consequences for their claimant, who, believe it or not,
0:09:55 > 0:09:56was a solicitor.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59We received a claim from Mrs Seepersand
0:09:59 > 0:10:04relating to an injury that she's alleged that she sustained
0:10:04 > 0:10:06while slipping on a wet floor in a shopping mall.
0:10:08 > 0:10:13The injuries that she told us that she'd suffered were back injuries,
0:10:13 > 0:10:15and she was alleging
0:10:15 > 0:10:19that there were no signs warning people of a wet floor.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21But on investigation we discovered,
0:10:21 > 0:10:23and we talked to a number of people who worked there,
0:10:23 > 0:10:27other witnesses, that they all saw the signs very clearly labelled
0:10:27 > 0:10:29to say that there was a wet floor there.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33With any accident, it's not uncommon to have conflicting
0:10:33 > 0:10:35versions of events from the parties involved.
0:10:35 > 0:10:39But, as someone in the legal profession, Mrs Seepersand
0:10:39 > 0:10:41would have known that to back up her claim,
0:10:41 > 0:10:44what she really needed was an independent witness.
0:10:44 > 0:10:46So, you'll never guess what happened next.
0:10:46 > 0:10:51Initially, we resisted making any payment
0:10:51 > 0:10:52but sometime down the line
0:10:52 > 0:10:56we received an independent witness statement that Mrs Seepersand
0:10:56 > 0:10:58had provided.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02An account from an independent witness can often be
0:11:02 > 0:11:05the deciding factor in whether or not a claim is successful.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07And this case was no different.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10The witness statement was made by a Mrs Singh.
0:11:10 > 0:11:15And she would say in her statement that she was passing by
0:11:15 > 0:11:16and she saw the fall,
0:11:16 > 0:11:21and that she was absolutely certain that there was no signage in place.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25At that point we settled the claim, and as far as we were concerned,
0:11:25 > 0:11:27the case was completed and we closed our file.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30Now, so far, it all sounds routine.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33An accident with an independent witness who steps forward,
0:11:33 > 0:11:35gives an honest account of what happened
0:11:35 > 0:11:37which leads to the claim being paid.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41But this story has a rather interesting twist.
0:11:43 > 0:11:48Two years later, we received a call from another insurer
0:11:48 > 0:11:50advising us that they'd received a claim,
0:11:50 > 0:11:53again, from Mrs Seepersand,
0:11:53 > 0:11:56and this related to a motor vehicle accident
0:11:56 > 0:11:58that she'd had with a parked car.
0:11:58 > 0:12:03The interesting aspect of this was the other party was none other
0:12:03 > 0:12:08than the independent witness that featured in the claim that she
0:12:08 > 0:12:10submitted against us four years previously.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14Now, there's a coincidence.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17They say lightning never strikes in the same place twice.
0:12:17 > 0:12:19Well, it did for Mrs Seepersand.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21But Allianz weren't convinced.
0:12:21 > 0:12:25The chances of the same individuals being involved in completely
0:12:25 > 0:12:31separate incidents, one being a...sort of a slip-and-trip-type
0:12:31 > 0:12:33accident, another one being a car accident,
0:12:33 > 0:12:38five, six years apart, it's beyond coincidence.
0:12:38 > 0:12:42Smelling a rat, Allianz decided to do some digging around.
0:12:43 > 0:12:47We were able to obtain references from employers
0:12:47 > 0:12:51and also gather some e-mail evidence
0:12:51 > 0:12:53that clearly showed that these
0:12:53 > 0:12:56two individuals had been friends for a very, very long time.
0:12:57 > 0:13:01Although they'd been found out, this pair of fraudster friends had
0:13:01 > 0:13:04stood to make a lot of money from their lies and deceit.
0:13:04 > 0:13:06Had Mrs Seepersand
0:13:06 > 0:13:10been successful in both attempts,
0:13:10 > 0:13:15she would have received around £35,000.
0:13:15 > 0:13:16But, for Mrs Seepersand,
0:13:16 > 0:13:20being caught out was just the beginning of a downward spiral.
0:13:20 > 0:13:24The police were very, very quick and very keen to take the case on,
0:13:24 > 0:13:29and it proceeded to court where Mrs Seepersand
0:13:29 > 0:13:33and Mrs Singh were both convicted of fraud-related offences.
0:13:33 > 0:13:38Mrs Seepersand received a 12-month custodial sentence
0:13:38 > 0:13:41which was suspended for two years.
0:13:41 > 0:13:45Mrs Singh received 8 months for the first incident
0:13:45 > 0:13:48and another 12 months for the second.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51But this was also suspended for two years.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54As a solicitor, Mrs Seepersand was in the business of upholding
0:13:54 > 0:13:58the law, but having been found guilty of breaking it herself,
0:13:58 > 0:14:01the consequences were life-changing.
0:14:01 > 0:14:03Mrs Seepersand essentially lost everything.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05She's been struck off,
0:14:05 > 0:14:08she can no longer act as a solicitor.
0:14:08 > 0:14:10So, was it really worth it?
0:14:10 > 0:14:12As with so many other cases of insurance fraud,
0:14:12 > 0:14:17the motive behind Mrs Seepersand's actions was nothing more than greed.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20Had she just stuck with the first claim, um...
0:14:20 > 0:14:21That was paid,
0:14:21 > 0:14:26and she never would have hit the radars of the insurance companies.
0:14:26 > 0:14:30But the fact she then went on to commit a second fraud
0:14:30 > 0:14:33and worked with the same people,
0:14:33 > 0:14:34I think was her undoing.
0:14:34 > 0:14:38And, to me, all this just demonstrates was how greedy she was.
0:14:39 > 0:14:43People often think insurance fraud is easy to get away with.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46But this case illustrates this is far from the truth.
0:14:47 > 0:14:51This is a really good example which demonstrates how insurance
0:14:51 > 0:14:53companies do talk to each other,
0:14:53 > 0:14:56especially around preventing fraud.
0:14:56 > 0:14:58We have our systems, we share information,
0:14:58 > 0:15:01we regularly liaise with each other.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03There's a lot more chance nowadays you'll get caught.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10With the cost of insurance fraud escalating,
0:15:10 > 0:15:14the City Of London Police joined the fight in January 2012
0:15:14 > 0:15:16when they formed an elite squad known as the
0:15:16 > 0:15:18Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22I would say to anyone who was considering
0:15:22 > 0:15:23committing insurance fraud
0:15:23 > 0:15:26that, now, this is no longer a crime without consequence
0:15:26 > 0:15:28that it may have been in the past, there is
0:15:28 > 0:15:32a dedicated 40-strong unit known as IFED
0:15:32 > 0:15:36that work 24/7 hunting down insurance fraudsters.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39IFED have made over 450 arrests,
0:15:39 > 0:15:42and saved millions of pounds in fraudulent insurance claims.
0:15:42 > 0:15:46Money which ultimately goes back into our pockets.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49From now on, fraudsters need to watch their backs.
0:15:49 > 0:15:51So, if you're thinking about it, I suggest, think again.
0:15:51 > 0:15:53There's every chance you'll get an IFED detective
0:15:53 > 0:15:55knocking on your front door. HE KNOCKS
0:15:55 > 0:15:57Police! Don't move, stay where you are!
0:15:59 > 0:16:00It's early morning, and IFED
0:16:00 > 0:16:04are about to launch one of their biggest operations to date.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07With 20 warrants being executed in simultaneous raids
0:16:07 > 0:16:08across the country
0:16:08 > 0:16:11as they attempt to bring down a suspected car insurance scam.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15Aman Taylor is in charge of one of the units.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18First thing to look at today is the director and chief engineer
0:16:18 > 0:16:20of a vehicle assessor company.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23We're looking for forged documents submitted as part
0:16:23 > 0:16:26of a claim to the insurance company relating to credit hire.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31Because of the types of vehicles involved with this particular case,
0:16:31 > 0:16:33IFED are dealing with large sums of money.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36From the list of vehicles that we're looking at,
0:16:36 > 0:16:39quite a lot of them are hire vehicles - BMWs, Mercedes.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42There's Porsches, Aston Martins, that sort of thing on the list.
0:16:42 > 0:16:43There are a couple of lower-end vehicles,
0:16:43 > 0:16:46but the majority of them are sort of higher-end,
0:16:46 > 0:16:48sort of what you'd class as like prestige cars.
0:16:49 > 0:16:50Expensive cars.
0:16:50 > 0:16:54Because they can claim a higher rate of credit hire,
0:16:54 > 0:16:57and they can charge a lot more for the more expensive cars.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02Carrying out multiple raids simultaneously requires
0:17:02 > 0:17:05a great deal of planning, resources and communication.
0:17:05 > 0:17:09But, as Aman explains, the potential benefits far outweigh
0:17:09 > 0:17:11the difficulties of organising such a huge operation.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15This morning it's planned around the same time.
0:17:15 > 0:17:17We're going to go to the address at the same sort of time.
0:17:17 > 0:17:19From our point of view it's the best way of doing it
0:17:19 > 0:17:22so that we can secure all the evidence that we can,
0:17:22 > 0:17:25without allowing someone the chance to dispose of anything.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35Having arrived at the location and liaised with the other units,
0:17:35 > 0:17:37it's time for the raids to begin,
0:17:37 > 0:17:38so Aman leads his team in.
0:17:44 > 0:17:47Hi. I'm Aman Taylor, a police officer from the City Of London Police.
0:17:47 > 0:17:48We're looking for...
0:17:50 > 0:17:51- Yeah? He's not here?- No.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53Do you know where he is?
0:17:55 > 0:17:56Is he?
0:17:56 > 0:17:58For a minute, just stop what you're doing.
0:17:58 > 0:17:59Just take your hands off the computer.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02We've got a warrant to search this premises, all right?
0:18:02 > 0:18:05In relation to an investigation into a credit hire company.
0:18:06 > 0:18:08So, what we're going to do, we're going to have officers here
0:18:08 > 0:18:11that will search for some documents that they're looking for.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13That's covered under an owner warrant.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16We'll give you a notice which explains the reasons why we're
0:18:16 > 0:18:19here and the powers that was being used to search for those documents.
0:18:19 > 0:18:21But I still need to speak to... SOUND DIPPED
0:18:21 > 0:18:24Is he going to be out for the whole day, do you know?
0:18:24 > 0:18:26Yeah, OK. All right.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29We'll cross that bridge later. Have you got a number for him?
0:18:29 > 0:18:31- A mobile number or something? - Yes.- Yeah?
0:18:31 > 0:18:32OK. All right.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35So, what I ask that you don't do for now, is you don't
0:18:35 > 0:18:37make any phone calls or use the computers.
0:18:37 > 0:18:38Just leave them as they are for now.
0:18:39 > 0:18:43The suspect that Aman needs to speak to might not be here
0:18:43 > 0:18:45but that doesn't mean IFED's work here is done.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48The team begins a systematic search of the office,
0:18:48 > 0:18:51looking for documentation and any other evidence
0:18:51 > 0:18:53that relates to this suspected fraud.
0:18:55 > 0:18:59Meanwhile, Aman leaves to see if he can track down the suspect.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01We're going to the home address now, um,
0:19:01 > 0:19:05to try to see if our suspect is at the home address.
0:19:05 > 0:19:07So, that is the next plan of attack, and then...
0:19:07 > 0:19:10if he's not, what I will do is... I've got a phone number for him now,
0:19:10 > 0:19:12so I'll look to phone him,
0:19:12 > 0:19:14arrange for him to come to the address so we can search,
0:19:14 > 0:19:16then take him to the police station. That's the plan.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23It's that end one.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26A short drive later and Aman has arrived,
0:19:26 > 0:19:27but will he get his man this time?
0:19:42 > 0:19:44Morning. SOUND DIPPED
0:19:44 > 0:19:45MALE SPEAKS
0:19:45 > 0:19:46He's not here?
0:19:46 > 0:19:49- No.- I've got a warrant to search the premises.
0:19:49 > 0:19:50The suspect isn't home.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53But as they're here, Aman and his colleague give the house
0:19:53 > 0:19:55a quick sweep for anything which relates to the case.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00He's shown us round, there's no office, so we don't need to search,
0:20:00 > 0:20:03so, I'll contact him, arrange for him to come to the police station
0:20:03 > 0:20:04so he can be interviewed.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08My name's Aman Taylor, I'm from the City Of London Police.
0:20:08 > 0:20:09We've been to your business address,
0:20:09 > 0:20:11and I've just been to your home address,
0:20:11 > 0:20:14we need to speak to you regarding some assessments
0:20:14 > 0:20:15you've done on vehicles.
0:20:15 > 0:20:17Unfortunately, you're going to have to do it today
0:20:17 > 0:20:19cos today's the day we're doing it.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22We've got officers at your business address that are searching now
0:20:22 > 0:20:26and looking for some documentation relating to the investigation, so,
0:20:26 > 0:20:28you are going to have to do it today.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32The suspect has agreed to attend an interview at the police station
0:20:32 > 0:20:34later on.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36And word has come through from Aman's team that the
0:20:36 > 0:20:38search at the office has gone well.
0:20:39 > 0:20:41We're happy with how it's gone so far.
0:20:41 > 0:20:43We've got the original documentation that we were looking for,
0:20:43 > 0:20:47and we've arranged for him to come in. So, overall, it's gone very well.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50IFED have seized a number of documents
0:20:50 > 0:20:52and a PC tower from the office
0:20:52 > 0:20:55which will be analysed by computer experts for any evidence
0:20:55 > 0:20:57relating to the case.
0:20:57 > 0:20:58He knows that we're onto him.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00He knows that he's got to come in for an interview now.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03We've spoken and made the arrangements, so...
0:21:03 > 0:21:06if he breaks that arrangement, we'll go to his house and just arrest him.
0:21:13 > 0:21:15Still to come, IFED's investigation
0:21:15 > 0:21:19gets off the ground as they remove suspected evidence
0:21:19 > 0:21:20at another one of the raid locations.
0:21:22 > 0:21:24We've just recovered a Ferrari
0:21:24 > 0:21:27which is worth in excess of £150,000.
0:21:32 > 0:21:36You know how it is, you're in the car, you're running late
0:21:36 > 0:21:38and you think you might just make it,
0:21:38 > 0:21:40and then you get stuck behind a bus.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44Impatiently, you go for the overtake, only to misjudge it
0:21:44 > 0:21:46and collide with a bus.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48GLASS SMASHES
0:21:48 > 0:21:52Cars driving across and into buses, otherwise known as drifting,
0:21:52 > 0:21:56is something that bus operators like First Group see on a regular basis.
0:21:56 > 0:21:58And it's a far bigger problem than you might think.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03These are claims where people will try to race across
0:22:03 > 0:22:04and get in front of the bus.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07They will often exceed the speed limit because the buses tend to be
0:22:07 > 0:22:11travelling at it, so they tend to try and get round the front.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14Often, they can then find themselves with the traffic in front of them
0:22:14 > 0:22:17slowing down, so they then have to slow down,
0:22:17 > 0:22:20and there will be collisions.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22Drivers who do this are not only putting
0:22:22 > 0:22:25the safety of themselves at risk, but also the safety of other road
0:22:25 > 0:22:29users, including the bus and its passengers.
0:22:29 > 0:22:30What they're actually doing is,
0:22:30 > 0:22:33they're pulling across and reducing the braking distance of a bus,
0:22:33 > 0:22:36or sometimes they're pulling in far too sharply
0:22:36 > 0:22:40and actually striking the front of the bus with their own vehicles.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43Of course, when manoeuvres like this go wrong,
0:22:43 > 0:22:44which they frequently do
0:22:44 > 0:22:46more often than not,
0:22:46 > 0:22:49it's the bus driver who's accused of being at fault.
0:22:49 > 0:22:50And then when they put their claim in,
0:22:50 > 0:22:53they're alleging that the bus has deviated from its current lane
0:22:53 > 0:22:56and swerved into the side or the back of the car.
0:22:57 > 0:23:01A classic example of this happened in 2012 when an impatient
0:23:01 > 0:23:04motorist just couldn't wait to get past one of First Group's buses.
0:23:08 > 0:23:10Before the collision takes place,
0:23:10 > 0:23:11you can see the driver of the white car
0:23:11 > 0:23:14shaping up to go round the bus, even though there are
0:23:14 > 0:23:16double white lines on the road,
0:23:16 > 0:23:18which mean overtaking is not allowed.
0:23:19 > 0:23:23As the traffic gets moving again, the driver goes for the overtake.
0:23:24 > 0:23:26But what they didn't bank on
0:23:26 > 0:23:28was the island in the middle of the road.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32Unsurprisingly, the car doesn't make it through the gap
0:23:32 > 0:23:34and collides with the bus.
0:23:38 > 0:23:40It wasn't long before First Group heard from the
0:23:40 > 0:23:43driver's insurance company.
0:23:43 > 0:23:45And, in his version of events,
0:23:45 > 0:23:46the bus had pulled into him
0:23:46 > 0:23:48and the bus driver was to blame.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53But, of course, it isn't always just damage to their vehicles that
0:23:53 > 0:23:56drivers will submit claims for.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59We'll regularly see claims come in for incidents of this nature.
0:23:59 > 0:24:03There will invariably be a whiplash injury claim,
0:24:03 > 0:24:05you've got the damage to the vehicle,
0:24:05 > 0:24:06all through their own fault really,
0:24:06 > 0:24:09although they'll obviously try and pin it on the bus company
0:24:09 > 0:24:13and claim the money back, and it's just not fair to do so.
0:24:14 > 0:24:18Both occupants of the white car submitted personal injury claims,
0:24:18 > 0:24:20but, thanks to the CCTV footage,
0:24:20 > 0:24:22the entire claim was rejected.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26But incidents like this are nothing new.
0:24:26 > 0:24:28There's a number of types of ways that these people try
0:24:28 > 0:24:32and cut in front of the buses. They'll either speed up and...
0:24:32 > 0:24:35cut in front and then brake, or alternatively,
0:24:35 > 0:24:37they'll just slowly drift over
0:24:37 > 0:24:40into the bus, actually colliding with it sometimes
0:24:40 > 0:24:44or just very close and just missing the front of the bus.
0:24:44 > 0:24:46Either way, it's a very dangerous manoeuvre.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49And it's also not fair then to say that the bus has drifted into you
0:24:49 > 0:24:52when we can often prove that's just not the case.
0:24:53 > 0:24:57Some buses are equipped with as many as 16 CCTV cameras,
0:24:57 > 0:25:00covering every angle inside and outside the bus.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04The reason they're there is to ensure the safety of the driver
0:25:04 > 0:25:05and passengers.
0:25:05 > 0:25:07Although, in the event of a collision,
0:25:07 > 0:25:11they can come in very handy when it comes to proving who's at fault.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14I think these individuals tend to be someone who's
0:25:14 > 0:25:17come across a situation, put themselves in a situation...
0:25:17 > 0:25:20um, the vehicle's been damaged,
0:25:20 > 0:25:22they're not prepared to accept responsibility for themselves,
0:25:22 > 0:25:26so they are going to try and pin the blame on someone else.
0:25:26 > 0:25:27It won't always be possible to do that,
0:25:27 > 0:25:30and eventually we will find out if they're lying.
0:25:30 > 0:25:34So, to anyone out there who thinks that a claim like this could be
0:25:34 > 0:25:38their ticket to some easy money, Lee has some words of advice.
0:25:38 > 0:25:40I would suggest to drivers that are thinking of putting in these
0:25:40 > 0:25:43types of claims - be aware of your facts
0:25:43 > 0:25:47because if you're saying that the bus has pulled into you,
0:25:47 > 0:25:49invariably, the bus is in a bus lane,
0:25:49 > 0:25:51there's no reason for that bus to have moved
0:25:51 > 0:25:55which is going to make us suspicious to begin with and we've got CCTV.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58So, we will find out what actually happened.
0:26:02 > 0:26:06Today, IFED have carried out their biggest operation this year,
0:26:06 > 0:26:08with teams raiding 20 different locations
0:26:08 > 0:26:12as they attempt to bring down a suspected motor insurance scam.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15We've got a warrant to search these premises,
0:26:15 > 0:26:18so, for the time being, don't make any phone calls or use the computers.
0:26:18 > 0:26:20Just leave them as they are for now.
0:26:21 > 0:26:25After a slow start, Aman Taylor managed to track down his suspect,
0:26:25 > 0:26:27who agreed to attend the police station for interviewing.
0:26:27 > 0:26:29Aman's team also seized documents
0:26:29 > 0:26:32and computer equipment thought to be connected to the case.
0:26:33 > 0:26:35He knows that we're onto him,
0:26:35 > 0:26:37he knows that he's got to come in for an interview now.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39I've spoken with him and we've made the arrangement, so,
0:26:39 > 0:26:42if he breaks that arrangement, then we'll go to his home address
0:26:42 > 0:26:43and arrest him.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48But it isn't just paper and PCs that are being taken away today...
0:26:50 > 0:26:52..because, at one of the other raid locations,
0:26:52 > 0:26:54the City Of London Police are seizing
0:26:54 > 0:26:57something much more exciting.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59We've just recovered a Ferrari
0:26:59 > 0:27:02which is worth in excess of £150,000
0:27:02 > 0:27:05which we believe may be evidence of money laundering.
0:27:05 > 0:27:06As with all acquisitive crime,
0:27:06 > 0:27:09obviously the assets, we are keen to get hold of those
0:27:09 > 0:27:12for any future confiscation or compensation proceedings.
0:27:16 > 0:27:18It's early days in the investigation,
0:27:18 > 0:27:22but a boy's toy worth as much as this raises a lot of questions.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31Clearly, a car of this value is quite unique,
0:27:31 > 0:27:35and therefore, one could consider that, if convicted,
0:27:35 > 0:27:39this could be the proceeds of crime and used to compensate victims,
0:27:39 > 0:27:42and also be confiscated under the appropriate legislation.
0:27:44 > 0:27:48And no criminal should benefit... obviously, from their offending.
0:27:50 > 0:27:54With £150,000 worth of supercar shackled onto the back
0:27:54 > 0:27:58of a low-loader, it hasn't been a good day for the Ferrari's owner.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01But IFED and the City Of London Police are over the moon.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04Yeah, very good day I think. Yeah, very pleased.