Episode 10 Claimed and Shamed


Episode 10

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Transcript


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Insurance fraud in the UK has hit epidemic levels.

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It's costing us over £1.3 billion every year.

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That's almost £3.6 million every day.

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Deliberate crashes, bogus personal injuries, even phantom pets.

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The fraudsters are risking more and more to make a quick killing,

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and every year it's adding over £50 to your insurance bill.

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But insurers are fighting back, exposing 14 fake claims every hour.

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Armed with covert surveillance systems...

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That's the subject out the vehicle.

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..sophisticated data analysis techniques...

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..and a number of highly skilled police units...

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Police! Don't move, stay where you are!

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..they're catching the criminals red-handed.

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Just don't lie to us.

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All of those conmen, scammers and cheats on the fiddle

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are now caught in the act and claimed and shamed.

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Coming up -

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one fraudster jumps out of the frying pan and into the fire...

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It's quite unusual to see a fire spread so quickly.

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Strongly indicated that a manual accelerant was used.

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..a potential fraudster

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tries to take an insurance company for a ride...

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The claimant presented his claim

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about two and a half years after the accident.

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He still hadn't been to see his GP.

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..and a fake crash with an online grocery store leaves a bad taste

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in the fraudsters' mouths.

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There's nothing more frustrating for a fraudster than to have an accident

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with a vehicle that isn't insured.

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The fire service attends just over 210,000 fires a year.

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When a home or business goes up in flames,

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they can see people's possessions and livelihoods

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disappear in a matter of minutes.

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Mihir Pandya from Allianz dealt with a claim

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that saw a family business go up in smoke.

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On the day in question, Mr Hindry told us that

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he had closed shop at the end of the normal trading day,

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set the alarm system

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and travelled to another location about eight miles away.

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About 30 minutes later, the first member of the public

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saw the fire breaching the roof and called the fire service.

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Within minutes, the first fire engine arrived

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and firefighters witnessed the extent of the fire.

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The officer in charge could see the magnitude of the fire had prevented

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any firefighters entering the building

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because there was a danger to life.

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And at the height of the fire,

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there was as many as 75 firefighters at the scene.

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The fire raged throughout the night,

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into the next morning and the only things left standing

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were the external masonry walls.

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In a matter of hours,

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several generations of hard work had burnt to the ground.

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Allianz wasted no time and immediately began investigating.

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On arriving at the scene the following morning,

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our investigators could see Mr Hindry. He was visibly upset.

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He expressed his concern for his employees, their futures

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and he vowed to get the business back on its feet

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and he was going to rebuild it.

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One of the first things the investigators did was check the alarm lock.

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What they found fuelled their suspicions.

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Mr Hindry had told us at the end of the working day

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he'd set the alarm system - about 5:30 in the evening.

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On investigating, our forensic investigators told us

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that, whilst the alarm system was set,

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somebody had entered the building, switched the alarm system off,

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remained in the building for about ten minutes

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and then set the system again.

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Now, this would have been only ten minutes before

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that first member of public saw the fire reaching through the roof.

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For Allianz, there's usually no smoke without fire.

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The first indication that there was something amiss

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was the nature of the fire.

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In our experience, it's quite unusual to see a fire spread so quickly

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and its magnitude strongly indicated that a manual accelerant

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was set by that unknown person in that short timeframe.

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Leading us to believe that this was arson.

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Convinced foul play was at hand, Allianz turned up the heat.

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We instructed police, who undertook their own investigations,

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and one of the first things they did was to check mobile phone records

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of Mr Hindry. And what they discovered

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was, whilst Mr Hindry told us he was in a location eight miles away,

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this wasn't actually the case.

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And he was a lot nearer to the property.

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With so many inconsistencies in Hindry's version of events,

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Allianz continued to investigate.

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We would check financial records, the financial status

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and the financial trading history of the company.

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It became quickly evident that, two years prior to the fire,

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the business was in financial difficulty

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and was, technically, insolvent.

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With all evidence gathered, there was a lot at stake for Allianz.

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Had Mr Hindry been successful, he would have received

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in the region of 2.1 million for the loss of the business and the stock.

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In June 2014, the case went to trial at Norwich Crown Court.

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Whilst we know that the business was in financial difficulty

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for two years prior to the fire,

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during the trial it emerged that Mr Hindry had also quite a significant

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gambling addiction and that he would often gamble up to £10,000 a day.

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A gambling habit like that works out at over £250,000 a month.

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Hindry had got his fingers burnt in more ways than one

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and his losing streak was about to hit rock bottom.

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His lies led to his downfall.

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Hindry was found guilty of fraud and arson

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and received a six-year prison sentence.

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The actions of Mr Hindry had not only impacted on his family -

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who were his business partners, so, between them

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they'd lost a £2.1 million business -

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but also his long-serving employees, who clearly held

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Mr Hindry in very high esteem. And I'm sure would have been very,

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very disappointed at what had happened.

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To see a family business turned to ash is heart-wrenching.

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In the summer of 2011,

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one business became the centrepiece of the riots in Croydon.

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Burnt to the ground overnight, furniture store

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House of Reeves has been in the area for almost 150 years.

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Maurice Reeves has worked in the family firm for most of his life.

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I heard it on the television. And I said, "No, that can't be our shop."

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But, of course, it was. I saw the name Reeves

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and I said, "This is like a nightmare."

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And that night, well, I didn't sleep.

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And, then, the following morning

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when I came down here, the devastation was horrendous.

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Our main building was completely destroyed.

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The iconic pictures everybody saw on the television haunts me still.

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They would never be erased from my memory.

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Oh, the cost to us, to me, personally, was extreme

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because I had worked all my life there.

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And, as you can understand, emotionally,

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it was so upsetting that it was very difficult to comprehend.

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The company has always been on this site,

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and the road is named Reeves's Corner, after the family business.

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It survived all these wars, the Depression, Second World War,

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the First World War, everything, and yet, in 2011,

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we were destroyed by one person who set light to it.

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He is still serving a long prison sentence.

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But this doesn't make up for the family's loss.

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The stress it gives you after you've had a devastation fire like ours

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can never compensated by being paid money by an insurance company.

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Because they can't, it's impossible to evaluate.

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What Hindry did is unthinkable for Maurice.

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For somebody to build a business

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and then destroy it is really...

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..incomprehensive for me.

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It would be too devastating for my sons,

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and people who work here have a pride and achievement.

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We're all fighters, the Reeves family. That's why we're still here.

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Still to come - one claimant gets caught with his trousers down.

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Actually, it's quite amusing because this gentleman had a lucky habit.

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And an insurer calls time on a potential fraudster's claim.

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Didn't discover the item was missing until at least two hours,

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and for something as big, chunky, and worth nearly £25,000,

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we found this slightly unusual.

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Around 200,000 car accidents occur each year in the UK.

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Whiplash injuries can be extremely severe,

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with aches and pains lasting for months.

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Unsurprisingly, insurance companies see more than their fair share

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of these types of claims. But some are more unusual than others.

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Sarah Hill from BLM ended up dealing with one such case.

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The accident was quite straightforward -

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it was a rear-end road traffic accident.

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The claimant was claiming that he'd suffered neck and back injuries -

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so, whiplash injury - and the claim was worth in the region of £15,000.

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Whiplash claims are usually brought to insurers' attention

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not long after the accident.

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But this claimant was working to a completely different timescale.

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Following a road traffic accident, it is usual to see a report

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of an injury within two weeks to a month after the accident.

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The claimant presented his claim about two and a half years

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after the accident. He still hadn't been to see his GP.

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That's right, not two and a half weeks,

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not two and a half months, but two and a half years.

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Now, why on earth would someone be looking for compensation

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so long after the accident?

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Well, investigations revealed this potential fraudster had been

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approached by a claims management company.

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This was an encouraged attempt to make a claim.

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The claimant was advised that he could make an injury claim

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up to three years after the accident and, therefore,

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decided to make that claim.

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Of course, you can't submit a claim without evidence.

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But, luckily for this chap,

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the claims management company had that covered.

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The claimant's legal adviser sent him for a medical report.

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The allegation was it was so severely impacting upon his hobbies,

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his daily activities, and, actually, he even went as far as saying

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it had impacted upon his work life

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because he'd had to speak to his line manager about rearranging

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some of his work schedule to accommodate his symptoms.

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So, we have a claim for injuries, complete with medical report

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and what sounded like a drastically affected lifestyle.

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But BLM's client wasn't about to get the chequebook out just yet,

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and decided to do a bit of detective work -

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and it's just as well they did.

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It came as quite a surprise

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when our intelligence team undertook some social media searches.

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The claimant, just about one month after the accident, had been

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involved in a 100km trek, so clearly not displaying any symptoms

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of injury at that point in time.

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And there was plenty more evidence where that came from.

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So, what's he been up to?

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Six miles in a decent time, phew, you must be in "wheely" good shape.

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Three peaks in terrible weather.

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Be careful up there, you might come a cropper.

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Three hours on your bike, well, that'll certainly build you up.

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About a year after the accident,

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he was mountain biking without any symptoms yet again.

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Long ride after work - cramming it in, hey?

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Two days out on your bike, you must be fit as a fiddle.

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Oh, and you're joining the gym. So, let's get this straight.

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You can't walk, but you can manage a six-mile trek.

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You're having difficulty cycling,

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but you can cope with a pedal-powered day out.

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And you're having problems with work,

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but you're OK to jump on your bike after.

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OK.

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And he's only just mentioning this now,

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two and half years after the event.

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Is it me, or is he pushing it a little?

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After looking at this for the insurer,

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it was a case of "on your bike!"

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We then presented the evidence that we'd achieved

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in the course of investigations to his legal representatives

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and, unsurprisingly,

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the claimant decided not to progress his claim and discontinued his claim.

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The claimant obviously thought he'd be peddling his way to the bank.

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The message of this case, really, is that if you are contacted

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following a road traffic accident, it is quite right that you are advised

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that if you are injured you're entitled to make a claim.

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But you must ask yourself

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whether you were actually genuinely injured as a result of the accident.

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Crash for cash is becoming a major policing issue.

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Cars working together to cause deliberate accidents

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are milking the insurance industry of just over £390 million a year.

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Crash for cash starts when one or two cars

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move in front of the victim.

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The first car brakes,

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giving the second car a reason to come to an abrupt halt...

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..causing the victim's car to go into the back of them.

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The driver of the car that's been hit can then cash in

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on a hefty insurance pay-out.

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Staged accidents like this have become a serious social problem.

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But it isn't just the insurance companies who are the victims.

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DCI Angie Rogers heads up the Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department,

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one of many forces tackling this dangerous crime.

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If people are out there committing insurance fraud on our roads

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and deliberately crashing into people,

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there's a risk of serious harm, injury or even death.

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With crash for cash on the rise, insurers and the police will

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use everything in their power to bring these criminals to justice.

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But it isn't just car drivers who are victims of this dangerous crime.

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Ian Emery is a senior associate at law firm Hill Dickinson.

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He represents a number of commercial clients who are sitting ducks

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when it comes to crash for cash.

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There are a number of reasons why fraudsters

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target commercial vehicles.

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One is that they are larger than a car, for example,

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so there's more chance of a collision actually taking place.

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Another reason is that commercial vehicles will always be insured.

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There's nothing more frustrating for a fraudster than to have

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an accident with a vehicle that isn't insured.

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Ah, yes, don't you just hate it when that happens?

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You go to all the trouble of staging a crash for cash...

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and then there's no insurance to claim on.

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This makes business vehicles, such as the white van,

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a particular favourite for fake accidents.

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With general insurance claims that we look at, the Ford Transit

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features in approximately 7% of accidents,

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but when we look at induced accidents,

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the same vehicle features on approximately 15%, which would

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suggest that it is being targeted in that type of accident.

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But commercial drivers are fighting back.

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When it comes to any kind of collision,

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a reliable eyewitness is crucial, so companies like Ocado have armed

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their vehicles with something that never takes its eyes off the road.

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Having cameras installed in commercial vehicles can really

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assist our clients, because the evidence that they

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get from the camera such as this, that films an accident taking place,

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where someone has stopped deliberately, can really help defend

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-the claim and can be the silver bullet.

-It certainly can,

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as a trio of crash-for-cash criminals found out when

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they tried to use an online grocery business as their meal ticket.

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This claim involved an Ocado delivery van on the outskirts of London,

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who was driving in heavy traffic and, unavoidably, hit the car in front.

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As a result of this accident, there was some minor damage to the front

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of the Ocado delivery van and some minor damage to the car,

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to the rear bumper of the car, as well.

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With over 23,000 traffic collisions on London's roads every year,

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it sounded pretty plausible.

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But when Ocado's insurers later received three whiplash claims

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of around £20,000 from the occupants of the car,

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it was time to check out the footage from the grocery-van cam

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to see exactly what had happened.

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OK, what we can see in this footage is the delivery van

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is proceeding in heavy traffic in London,

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the car in front slows down and speeds up on a number of occasions,

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before finally slamming on next to the bus stop.

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Could this just have been a doddery driver? Not according to Ian.

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When we review footage and we see that a car speeds up

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and slows down on a number of occasions before finally

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stopping suddenly, it suggests that the driver is maybe trying

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to commit the act of deliberately slamming on, but maybe

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isn't sure how hard to break, and maybe has to test it

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a couple of times before finally going through with the manoeuvre.

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The on-board camera not only captures the incident,

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but it's specifically designed to record

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when the van breaks sharply, or there's an impact.

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This claim was starting to smell decidedly off,

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so the occupants of the car were asked exactly why

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they'd been so heavy-handed - or, rather, footed - with the brakes.

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Each of the claimants came back with a description that there

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was a lady at the bus stop on the left-hand side who was

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either stepping off or about to step off the kerb, which is

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the reason why they'd stopped suddenly.

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When we reviewed the footage,

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we could see that there was no lady at the bus stop

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and that's when our concerns were really confirmed that this was

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an attempt to pursue fraudulent claims against our clients.

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OK, now, I know the footage is a little grainy, but, nope,

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I can't see a woman or anyone standing by the bus stop.

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It was quite clear to see there was no old lady,

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there were no other people, there were no children on bikes,

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there was no reason whatsoever for them to have stopped, there was

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no-one on the pavement at all and there wasn't even anyone

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on the other side of the road who was potentially crossing the road either.

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The claimants' account of a ghost granny left Ian and his team with

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no doubt that they were dealing with a classic case of crash for cash.

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Or were the claimants just trying a supermarket sweep?

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The fact that they gave a version of events that seemed plausible -

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there was someone stepping off the kerb -

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they thought that would be a good enough reason to justify why they

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stopped suddenly. They clearly weren't aware they were being

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videoed by the vehicle behind

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and that that video would show conclusively that

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there really wasn't anyone there and there was no reason for them to stop.

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Convinced that this was a fraudulent claim,

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Ian set the wheels of justice in motion.

0:19:310:19:35

In this case, once we'd identified the concerns we'd had

0:19:350:19:37

and we'd reviewed the footage, we passed the matter

0:19:370:19:39

to the police and they investigated.

0:19:390:19:41

They arrested the three individuals in the vehicle in front.

0:19:410:19:44

This claim was definitely past its sell-by date and you would

0:19:440:19:47

have thought the fraudsters would have checked out here, but not so.

0:19:470:19:51

Even after they were arrested by the police and questioned

0:19:510:19:55

and shown the footage, they still decided to plead

0:19:550:19:57

not guilty at the criminal trial but, thankfully,

0:19:570:19:59

the strength of the evidence that we had, including the footage,

0:19:590:20:03

meant that they were convicted.

0:20:030:20:05

All three occupants of the car were convicted of fraud...

0:20:050:20:08

..and each received three months behind bars.

0:20:110:20:14

I suspect that when they reached the decision to pursue this

0:20:140:20:17

fraudulent claim and to set up the accident,

0:20:170:20:19

I don't think they ever thought that it would end up with the police

0:20:190:20:22

knocking on their door and ultimately them spending three months in prison.

0:20:220:20:26

After trying to defraud the grocery company, justice had been delivered

0:20:260:20:30

and Ian's in no doubt as to why the case was so successful.

0:20:300:20:33

Without the footage, it would've been a much more difficult case to defend,

0:20:330:20:37

because it would have been the word of the Ocado driver against

0:20:370:20:40

the three occupants in the third-party vehicle,

0:20:400:20:42

so having the footage really did help us immensely in this case.

0:20:420:20:45

And any other fraudsters who think online grocery vans

0:20:450:20:48

are a sweet treat when it comes to insurance claims

0:20:480:20:51

are, quite frankly, off their trolley.

0:20:510:20:53

I think fraudsters see this kind of accident as easy money,

0:20:550:20:58

relative to other areas of crime

0:20:580:21:00

and, also, I think they see it as relatively low risk,

0:21:000:21:03

but I think this case is a good example of where it's not easy money

0:21:030:21:06

and it's not low risk and it can have some quite serious consequences

0:21:060:21:09

including, in this case, a custodial sentence.

0:21:090:21:12

Some people like a flutter on the horses or a game of cards.

0:21:180:21:22

Crossing your fingers or knocking on wood are just

0:21:220:21:24

some of the things we do for luck.

0:21:240:21:27

Some of us even have lucky rituals.

0:21:270:21:29

However, when a case involving a superstitious gambler landed

0:21:290:21:32

on John Beadle's desk at RSA, it raised a smile or two.

0:21:320:21:37

Actually, it's quite amusing,

0:21:370:21:39

because this gentleman had a lucky habit where

0:21:390:21:43

he pressed the button on the machine

0:21:430:21:46

and then walked backwards, watching the machine while it played...

0:21:460:21:50

..and he'd repeat this several times.

0:21:510:21:55

Let's have a look at this lucky ritual. Here we go.

0:21:550:21:59

So, it's a few steps back, throw your hand behind your back,

0:21:590:22:02

a little shimmy round the stool, and here we go again.

0:22:020:22:05

A few steps back, bit of a quick lunge

0:22:070:22:11

and swing your leg out to the left. Well, that works for me.

0:22:110:22:15

But this prancing punter's lucky moves turned out to be his downfall.

0:22:150:22:19

He claimed he was sitting on a stool

0:22:190:22:22

and the stool spun round causing him to fall to the floor and sustained

0:22:220:22:29

an injury of deep laceration of the knee

0:22:290:22:32

and the claim was for in excess of £13,000.

0:22:320:22:36

13 grand is a windfall for any gambler and, unsurprisingly,

0:22:370:22:41

this fella thought he was going to be quids in.

0:22:410:22:44

But what he didn't bank on

0:22:440:22:46

were the CCTV cameras that captured the truth.

0:22:460:22:49

Ooph, what a fall. But I think his luck might have just run out.

0:22:520:22:56

Well, we became suspicious very early on

0:22:590:23:01

when they reviewed the CCTV and it showed that the claimant

0:23:010:23:06

actually didn't fall off the stool that he allegedly had.

0:23:060:23:11

Now, there's no disputing that this fella has had a nasty fall...

0:23:110:23:15

..but it doesn't look like he has any intention of getting up.

0:23:170:23:20

In fact, he's really milking it.

0:23:230:23:27

It's been nearly two minutes and he's still on the floor.

0:23:270:23:30

What on earth is he waiting for?

0:23:300:23:33

Ah, there you go, a knight in shining armour.

0:23:330:23:36

And, as luck would have it, a potential witness.

0:23:360:23:39

On your feet, son.

0:23:390:23:41

Oh, there he goes again.

0:23:430:23:44

Never mind the stool, this chap's acting like he's been hit by a bus.

0:23:470:23:51

Now, I've seen some overacting in my time,

0:23:510:23:53

but this really takes the biscuit.

0:23:530:23:55

'Ey up, what he doing? Trousers are coming down now.

0:23:570:24:00

No-one wants to see that.

0:24:020:24:03

You just take five, mate.

0:24:050:24:08

But, despite his ordeal, our unlucky gambler still managed to check

0:24:080:24:12

if he's hit the jackpot.

0:24:120:24:13

Trousers on and back on his feet, it's back to business.

0:24:160:24:20

But as far as RSA was concerned, all bets were off.

0:24:210:24:25

He said that the stool was faulty and, of course,

0:24:250:24:29

the CCTV showed that he wasn't sitting on it at all.

0:24:290:24:32

The injury is caused, really, by his own stupidity.

0:24:320:24:36

And it's one of those cases where an accident is an accident

0:24:390:24:43

and there is really no blame or liability on anybody

0:24:430:24:47

apart from himself and his rather peculiar betting habit.

0:24:470:24:51

So, to anyone out there who thinks they can cheat the system,

0:24:530:24:56

remember that the house always wins,

0:24:560:24:58

no matter how much of a song and a dance you make out of it.

0:24:580:25:01

Notting Hill Carnival.

0:25:110:25:13

Every August bank holiday, London comes alive with the vibrant

0:25:130:25:16

sounds and colourful costumes of one of the largest festivals in Europe.

0:25:160:25:21

With an estimated one million Carnival partygoers,

0:25:220:25:25

it's an ideal opportunity for a thief to strike.

0:25:250:25:28

Insurers TH March & Co dealt with one claimant

0:25:280:25:31

who lost more than he bargained for.

0:25:310:25:33

We were notified by our customer

0:25:340:25:36

that he had unfortunately

0:25:360:25:37

lost his gent's 18 carat Rolex Daytona gold watch

0:25:370:25:42

which was as a result of a scuffle which took place

0:25:420:25:44

at the Notting Hill Carnival in August 2014.

0:25:440:25:48

And this particular gold watch was worth a bob or two.

0:25:480:25:52

£25,000 by most people's standards, is a lot of money

0:25:520:25:55

to spend on a watch and, in fact,

0:25:550:25:56

it's probably worth more than most people spend on their car.

0:25:560:25:59

It wasn't just the value of the watch that caught the insurer's eye.

0:25:590:26:03

What we found particularly unusual about this loss

0:26:030:26:05

was that it wasn't discovered until two hours after

0:26:050:26:08

the alleged assault, scuffle, mugging took place.

0:26:080:26:10

I don't know about you, but if I was actually assaulted or bumped into

0:26:100:26:13

in the street, the first thing I'd do is check my possessions.

0:26:130:26:16

In this particular case, the gentleman concerned

0:26:160:26:18

didn't discover the item was missing

0:26:180:26:20

until at least two hours and, for something as big, chunky

0:26:200:26:22

and worth nearly £25,000, we found this slightly unusual.

0:26:220:26:26

But for the insurer, there was still one missing link.

0:26:270:26:31

The customer didn't report the loss to the police

0:26:310:26:33

until the following day. I'd want to talk to a policeman straight away,

0:26:330:26:36

get something reported straight away in case they can actually find it

0:26:360:26:39

or maybe find somebody and apprehend them, who may have taken it.

0:26:390:26:42

Thankfully, all wasn't lost for the claimant.

0:26:420:26:45

The insured was able to produce the original Rolex box

0:26:450:26:48

together with all the paperwork to go with that.

0:26:480:26:50

This is a good point

0:26:500:26:52

and something we would expect for any particular claim.

0:26:520:26:54

The insurer continued with their enquiries,

0:26:540:26:57

but the claimant's responses just didn't ring true.

0:26:570:27:00

What we found slightly unusual was the watch was

0:27:000:27:03

purchased from a friend of a friend.

0:27:030:27:05

Whilst he could remember the first name of the person from whom it was

0:27:050:27:09

bought, he couldn't produce any of the contact details, including

0:27:090:27:12

a phone number, e-mail or even an address.

0:27:120:27:14

What we find slightly more unusual was that the person

0:27:140:27:17

who he purchased the watch from apparently provided him

0:27:170:27:20

with a receipt which he could not find at the time of the claim.

0:27:200:27:24

It was all looking a bit suspect, but then there was a killer blow.

0:27:240:27:29

The thing that really blew this claim out of the water was

0:27:290:27:31

the fact, on further questioning,

0:27:310:27:33

he disclosed that he had a previous criminal conviction.

0:27:330:27:35

This meant, by not disclosing a conviction,

0:27:350:27:38

that the policy would be treated as null and void by the insurers

0:27:380:27:41

and no claim could be proceeded with.

0:27:410:27:43

And as a result of this, they were willing,

0:27:440:27:46

in this particular case, to give him a refund of the premium.

0:27:460:27:50

Remember, the insurer always keeps a watchful eye over all claims.

0:27:500:27:55

If you're not 100% truthful at the time of taking out the policy,

0:27:550:27:59

you run a real risk of not having any future claim met

0:27:590:28:02

and you could be substantially out of pocket as a result of that.

0:28:020:28:05

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