0:00:02 > 0:00:05Insurance fraud in the UK has hit epidemic levels.
0:00:05 > 0:00:08It's costing us over £1.3 billion every year -
0:00:08 > 0:00:11that's almost £3.6 million every day.
0:00:13 > 0:00:18Deliberate crashes, bogus personal injuries, even phantom pets...
0:00:19 > 0:00:22..the 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 > 0:00:31But insurers are fighting back, exposing 14 fake claims every hour.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35Armed with covert surveillance systems...
0:00:35 > 0:00:38That's the subject out the vehicle.
0:00:38 > 0:00:40..sophisticated data analysis techniques...
0:00:42 > 0:00:43Police!
0:00:43 > 0:00:45..and a number of highly skilled police units...
0:00:45 > 0:00:47Police, stand back. Stay where you are.
0:00:47 > 0:00:49..they're catching the criminals red-handed.
0:00:49 > 0:00:51Just don't lie to us.
0:00:51 > 0:00:52All those conmen, scammers
0:00:52 > 0:00:56and cheats on the fiddle are now caught in the act
0:00:56 > 0:00:58and claimed and shamed.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09Coming up, a brickie's personal injury claim
0:01:09 > 0:01:12is demolished by the courts.
0:01:12 > 0:01:16We've got filming of him carrying out heavy manual labour
0:01:16 > 0:01:20with a vibrating plate that's used to actually lay paving stones.
0:01:21 > 0:01:23It's ten out of ten for one passenger's attempt
0:01:23 > 0:01:25to defraud a bus company.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28One thing I would have loved to have seen in this footage
0:01:28 > 0:01:31is the other passengers holding up cards with marks on.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34I think that would have just made the piece absolutely brilliant.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39And the unbelievable lengths some people will go to in order to
0:01:39 > 0:01:41cash in on a personal injury claim.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55Over 30 million people make up the British workforce,
0:01:55 > 0:01:57with around 15% of those self-employed.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01But, while being your own boss has its perks,
0:02:01 > 0:02:04such as flexible hours and lots of tea breaks,
0:02:04 > 0:02:07the biggest drawback is that when you don't work you don't earn.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12So injury or illness can have a serious impact on your income.
0:02:14 > 0:02:16Someone who knows all about this is bricklayer Paul Havert,
0:02:16 > 0:02:18who injured his wrist so badly
0:02:18 > 0:02:21that he was forced to hang up his trowel for good.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24Fortunately, though, he was covered by an insurance policy that
0:02:24 > 0:02:27would pay out in the event of such a disaster.
0:02:27 > 0:02:29Richard Davies is Axa's head of fraud.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35Paul Havert was claiming for a life-changing sum of money.
0:02:35 > 0:02:40You know, he was claiming for loss of earnings totalling £200,000.
0:02:40 > 0:02:45He claimed that he couldn't undertake his existing work as a bricklayer,
0:02:45 > 0:02:47he claimed that he couldn't do anything
0:02:47 > 0:02:50other than very, very light work.
0:02:50 > 0:02:51He said, for example,
0:02:51 > 0:02:54that he couldn't drive for long periods of time.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59Unsurprisingly, no money coming in quickly took its toll
0:02:59 > 0:03:01and it wasn't long before Havert was struggling
0:03:01 > 0:03:02to keep his head above water.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05But, thanks to Axa, he had a lifeline.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09He also told us that his mortgage was in arrears
0:03:09 > 0:03:14and we immediately made a payment of £30,000 to ensure that
0:03:14 > 0:03:18Paul Havert continued to live in his house.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22There was no disputing that Havert had suffered a genuine injury.
0:03:22 > 0:03:26However, with a potential pay-out of around £200,000,
0:03:26 > 0:03:28Axa wanted to double-check the foundation of his claim
0:03:28 > 0:03:31before they handed over any more money.
0:03:31 > 0:03:35We undertook some surveillance and we didn't expect that to tell us
0:03:35 > 0:03:39anything other than Paul Havert was indeed very seriously injured
0:03:39 > 0:03:41and couldn't work,
0:03:41 > 0:03:43but we saw something completely different.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46They certainly did.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48And it was at this point that Havert's claim
0:03:48 > 0:03:51came crashing down like a tonne of bricks.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55He told us that he wasn't able to work in the building trade,
0:03:55 > 0:03:58but we can see him working at roof level.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01He's picking up what appears to be a pretty long and heavy piece of wood.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05Hardly the actions of a man who's unable to work.
0:04:06 > 0:04:10We have footage of him driving a van over long periods of time.
0:04:10 > 0:04:14Well, taking the van out for a spin doesn't seem to be a problem.
0:04:14 > 0:04:16But when they saw the next bit of surveillance,
0:04:16 > 0:04:18for a man laid up with a wrist injury,
0:04:18 > 0:04:20they couldn't believe their eyes.
0:04:20 > 0:04:24We've got filming of him carrying out heavy manual labour
0:04:24 > 0:04:28with a vibrating plate that's used to actually lay paving stones,
0:04:28 > 0:04:32which suggested that his wrist was nothing like as badly injured
0:04:32 > 0:04:33as he said it was.
0:04:35 > 0:04:37Havert had been well and truly rumbled...
0:04:39 > 0:04:41..so Axa decided to do a bit more digging.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44When they looked into his bank account,
0:04:44 > 0:04:46it had built up some unexpected figures.
0:04:48 > 0:04:52Paul Havert told us that he was earning around £100 a week
0:04:52 > 0:04:56between December 2012 and May 2013,
0:04:56 > 0:05:01so we expected to see around £2,000 going into that bank account.
0:05:01 > 0:05:03That's not what we saw.
0:05:03 > 0:05:07We saw £33,000, which Paul Havert didn't explain to us.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12Havert had been blatantly lying and, as far as Axa were concerned,
0:05:12 > 0:05:15they'd been taken for a ride by a scheming builder
0:05:15 > 0:05:17and refused a £200,000 claim.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22Once we got the surveillance evidence that Paul Havert wasn't
0:05:22 > 0:05:25seriously injured, we chose to defend the claim.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28Paul Havert sued us on that basis,
0:05:28 > 0:05:31so we had to go to court to defend ourselves.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35The court agreed that £40,000 will be enough of a pay-out
0:05:35 > 0:05:37from Axa in light of his injury.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40But, not wanting to let this criminal get away with it,
0:05:40 > 0:05:43Axa brought Havert in front of the judge again
0:05:43 > 0:05:45and top of the agenda were his earnings.
0:05:45 > 0:05:51When this case got to court, Paul Havert actually admitted
0:05:51 > 0:05:55that he'd paid £30,000 into his bank account for manual labour
0:05:55 > 0:05:59that he'd undertaken whilst he said he was injured.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04As it turned out, it wasn't the damning footage that would get
0:06:04 > 0:06:08the better of him, but simply that he'd been economical with the truth.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11That meant that the loss of earnings claims wasn't what
0:06:11 > 0:06:16he said it was and the judge held that that was a significant lie,
0:06:16 > 0:06:19and held him in contempt of court because of that.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23In January 2015, at Middlesbrough Crown Court,
0:06:23 > 0:06:25Paul Havert pleaded guilty to contempt of court
0:06:25 > 0:06:28and received a six-month suspended prison sentence.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32During sentencing, the judge said Havert was escaping
0:06:32 > 0:06:34jail by "the merest whisker."
0:06:35 > 0:06:38When somebody chooses to lie to us in this way,
0:06:38 > 0:06:42it must mean that they're either desperate to make money or they
0:06:42 > 0:06:47just think it's acceptable to take money that they're not entitled to.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51Havert's claim was settled at £40,000.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54As he had already received 30,000 during the early days
0:06:54 > 0:06:58of the claim, there was still 10,000 outstanding,
0:06:58 > 0:07:01but this criminal still didn't end up with it in his back pocket.
0:07:03 > 0:07:07The £10,000, which the judge ordered he should be paid,
0:07:07 > 0:07:09was paid into a safe quart account,
0:07:09 > 0:07:12so it's not money he actually received.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16And, secondly, he was ordered to repay our costs which were,
0:07:16 > 0:07:20at the end of the case, far larger than that £10,000.
0:07:22 > 0:07:23So much for a dodgy wrist,
0:07:23 > 0:07:26think it's more of a slapped wrist now, sunshine.
0:07:31 > 0:07:35Still to come, a new driver falls victim to a crash for cash scam.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40I had a few nightmares about it, like, what's actually happened?
0:07:40 > 0:07:43I thought it could have been my life, at the end of the day
0:07:43 > 0:07:44if I was going any faster.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48And a dream trip to South America turns into a nightmare.
0:07:51 > 0:07:53For such a serious incident such as a kidnapping,
0:07:53 > 0:07:56you would think that the customer would want to speak with someone
0:07:56 > 0:08:00straight away to see how we can help him or something like that.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11With millions of vehicles on the UK's roads each day,
0:08:11 > 0:08:15the traffic in city centres can be chaos and accidents are inevitable,
0:08:15 > 0:08:18but the claims team at First Group found themselves dealing
0:08:18 > 0:08:21with one case that seem to be more of a practical joke.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25We received a claim for an incident that had allegedly
0:08:25 > 0:08:30happened on the 1st April 2014, where it was said that the bus had hit
0:08:30 > 0:08:32a vehicle in front and the claimant had been
0:08:32 > 0:08:35thrown to the floor as a result of this collision.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39Fortunately for First Group, every one of their buses is fitted
0:08:39 > 0:08:41with more cameras than a paparazzi kitbag.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44So, let's take a look at this accident.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50Did you see it? No, me neither.
0:08:50 > 0:08:51Let's take another look.
0:08:53 > 0:08:55Right, here it comes.
0:08:58 > 0:09:00I'm still not seeing it.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03But for one passenger, this was a truly brutal collision.
0:09:04 > 0:09:06When the injuries actually came in,
0:09:06 > 0:09:11they were, allegedly, broken teeth, possible fractured ribs.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14Anyone who's sort of broken a rib or suffered that sort of injury
0:09:14 > 0:09:18will know just how painful that can be. It does really hurt.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23With such painful injuries, a costly claim was at stake.
0:09:23 > 0:09:27We would expect a claim of this nature to be around about £12,000.
0:09:27 > 0:09:31This would cover compensation for the injury itself and also
0:09:31 > 0:09:34there would have been an element, possibly, for some lost earnings.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37You would need a little bit of time off work, depending on what you did.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40There would be dental treatment costs.
0:09:40 > 0:09:44Potential physiotherapy fees for the neck and the soft tissue injuries.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48Due to the extent of the injuries,
0:09:48 > 0:09:51First Group started to investigate how the bus was being driven.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54Besides having CCTV cameras inside and outside of the bus,
0:09:54 > 0:09:57they also have another trick up their sleeves.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00All of our buses are fitted with telematic equipment,
0:10:00 > 0:10:04which reads any signs of adverse movement within the bus.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07So, if the bus brakes too hard,
0:10:07 > 0:10:10corners too hard or accelerates too quickly,
0:10:10 > 0:10:14we will get a recording within the bus to suggest that the driver
0:10:14 > 0:10:17may want to alter the way he's driving the bus.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20And these are the sorts of things we're looking for
0:10:20 > 0:10:22when we see claims of this nature coming in.
0:10:23 > 0:10:25Yep, you guessed it.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28The telematics on the bus told a completely different story
0:10:28 > 0:10:29to that of the claimant.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33There was no evidence that any adverse movement had actually
0:10:33 > 0:10:38occurred and this would mean that one of our potential fraud
0:10:38 > 0:10:39indicators had just been tripped.
0:10:41 > 0:10:46Feeling there might have been a slip up, Lee looked at the bus's CCTV.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50We're looking to see what happens to the people around the claimant.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53It's not so much what they do as to what they don't do.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57The chap in front holding the coffee doesn't even know anything's
0:10:57 > 0:11:00happened till he hits the floor at his feet.
0:11:00 > 0:11:01Let's have another look.
0:11:03 > 0:11:04Watch your coffee, mate,
0:11:04 > 0:11:07the bloke behind seems to be heading for a fall.
0:11:07 > 0:11:11In fact, for Lee, this would be great on the big screen.
0:11:11 > 0:11:13I could watch this again and again, all day long.
0:11:13 > 0:11:18His actions are comical. The way he suddenly flies forward.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20No-one else moves, it's amazing.
0:11:22 > 0:11:24And looking at it from the rear, yep...
0:11:25 > 0:11:27..bit of a nosedive there.
0:11:27 > 0:11:32This potential fraudster had well and truly fallen flat on his face.
0:11:32 > 0:11:36He might have been looking for an opportunity to either put
0:11:36 > 0:11:39himself in a position where he could make a claim,
0:11:39 > 0:11:43or to further his acting career in the circumstances we've got here
0:11:43 > 0:11:45because it's a brilliant manoeuvre that he undertakes
0:11:45 > 0:11:47to throw himself to the floor. Fantastic.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53Nonetheless, the claimant's acrobatic skills never cease
0:11:53 > 0:11:54to bring a smile to Lee's face.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59One thing I would've loved to have seen in this footage
0:11:59 > 0:12:02is the other passengers holding up cards with marks on.
0:12:02 > 0:12:06I think that would have just made the piece absolutely brilliant.
0:12:06 > 0:12:08This claimant had clearly been trying it on.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12As far as we were concerned,
0:12:12 > 0:12:15this claim just couldn't have happened the way he'd said.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19Bear in mind, this happened on April Fools' Day.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22The biggest joke here is this chap's pathetic attempt
0:12:22 > 0:12:23at trying to defraud us.
0:12:24 > 0:12:28On this occasion, for the claimant, it was a case of nil points.
0:12:35 > 0:12:39If you think our bloke on the bus's attempts to cash in was extreme,
0:12:39 > 0:12:42then brace yourselves because, in other parts of the world,
0:12:42 > 0:12:45there are people who will go to jaw-dropping lengths
0:12:45 > 0:12:47in order to cash in on an insurance pay-out.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50Now, driving abroad can be a daunting prospect.
0:12:50 > 0:12:54Unfamiliar road signs, locals who think they're Lewis Hamilton
0:12:54 > 0:12:57and being on the wrong side of the road are just some of the things
0:12:57 > 0:13:00you need to contend with. But, as these next clips show,
0:13:00 > 0:13:02they aren't the only things that you've got to dodge.
0:13:04 > 0:13:06I know this looks awful, but let's rewind a little.
0:13:08 > 0:13:09Is he running towards a moving car?
0:13:12 > 0:13:15A genuine personal injury claim could be kerching.
0:13:16 > 0:13:18But with playacting as pathetic as this,
0:13:18 > 0:13:21all this lad's earned himself is a proper rollicking
0:13:21 > 0:13:24from the driver, who tells him in no uncertain terms to get lost.
0:13:26 > 0:13:28"Go on, pavement's over there."
0:13:29 > 0:13:31Maybe next time, this young man will think twice before
0:13:31 > 0:13:33he throws himself on the bonnet of a moving car.
0:13:36 > 0:13:40As staged personal injury claims go, that was a pretty pitiful attempt
0:13:40 > 0:13:43and sometimes it takes a man to show you how it's really done.
0:13:43 > 0:13:47Now, how dangerous could driving around a Korean car park be?
0:13:47 > 0:13:50Not dangerous at all, you say? Think again.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55Yep, that's another potty pedestrian running towards a moving car,
0:13:55 > 0:13:58only this fellow really means business.
0:13:58 > 0:13:59SCREAMING
0:14:01 > 0:14:04And one for luck. That should do it.
0:14:04 > 0:14:06On the replay, this one's even worse.
0:14:09 > 0:14:11More of a method actor.
0:14:11 > 0:14:13This chap leaves nothing to chance.
0:14:17 > 0:14:19Yep, when it comes to driving,
0:14:19 > 0:14:23some people gear themselves up to try and green light a pay-out.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26From taking a dive into the path of moving traffic,
0:14:26 > 0:14:28to bouncing off bonnets and bumpers...
0:14:32 > 0:14:33..and suicidal cycling.
0:14:36 > 0:14:38But there are those whose attempts tend to stall.
0:14:39 > 0:14:41I've got to see that again.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45This guy's effort has definitely fallen by the wayside.
0:14:47 > 0:14:52But this has to be one of the most useless attempts I've seen.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55She can't even be bothered running at the car.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59Some people will do anything for a lift home.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02Seriously, playing dead isn't going to get this woman anywhere.
0:15:03 > 0:15:05Come on, get up and go home.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11But, for any potential fraudsters out there who think this is
0:15:11 > 0:15:13an easy scam to a fast bit of cash,
0:15:13 > 0:15:17beware because sometimes you can wind up the wrong driver.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31Clearly not a fan of personal injury opportunists,
0:15:31 > 0:15:34this driver's taken the law into his own hands
0:15:34 > 0:15:37and is dishing out a bit of justice of his own.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40Never mind swapping details, this fellow might have been
0:15:40 > 0:15:42better off if he'd really been hit by the car.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53Crash for cash is becoming a major policing issue.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57Cars working together to cause deliberate accidents are milking
0:15:57 > 0:16:02the insurance industry out of just over £390 million a year.
0:16:05 > 0:16:06Crash for cash starts
0:16:06 > 0:16:09when one or two cars move in front of the victim.
0:16:11 > 0:16:13The first car brakes, giving the second car a reason
0:16:13 > 0:16:15to come to an abrupt halt...
0:16:18 > 0:16:21..causing the victim's car to go into the back of them.
0:16:21 > 0:16:23The driver of the car that's been hit can then
0:16:23 > 0:16:25cash in on a hefty insurance pay-out.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30Staged accidents like this have become a serious social problem,
0:16:30 > 0:16:33but it isn't just the insurance companies who are the victims.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38Reports suggest that one in seven personal injury claims
0:16:38 > 0:16:40are linked to deliberate crashes.
0:16:40 > 0:16:42People are getting seriously hurt.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47With crash for cash crime on the rise, the police will use
0:16:47 > 0:16:50everything in their power to bring these criminals to justice.
0:16:52 > 0:16:56Passing your test and having your first car is an exciting time for everyone.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00But for Tom Griffiths, this all turned a bit sour
0:17:00 > 0:17:04when he was caught up in it crash for cash scam in March of 2012.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09I thought it was all my fault, like, I've driven into the back of someone.
0:17:09 > 0:17:11Why would I do that? How can I drive again?
0:17:11 > 0:17:14If I've done this before, I can do it again.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18I had a few nightmares about it, like, what's actually happened?
0:17:18 > 0:17:21I thought it could have been my life, at the end of the day,
0:17:21 > 0:17:22if I was going any faster.
0:17:23 > 0:17:27With this being Tom's first accident since passing his test,
0:17:27 > 0:17:29he remembers it like it was yesterday.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32After the incident happened, we pulled over to the side
0:17:32 > 0:17:34and I've got out of the car and I've looked over,
0:17:34 > 0:17:37and I've seen the woman and man swap over in the front two seats.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42But the fraudsters didn't stop there at trying to trick their victim.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45They've asked me to write my details down, so I've started doing that.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48And just as I was getting my name down, they've brought
0:17:48 > 0:17:51a sheet of paper with all their details before I've even wrote
0:17:51 > 0:17:52anything on the piece of paper.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55I'd wondered why they've done it so quickly -
0:17:55 > 0:17:57how they would have known to have done that straight away.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02Although in shock, Tom still had his wits about him.
0:18:02 > 0:18:06I phoned my dad up and I said that he was on his way,
0:18:06 > 0:18:09and they've all really hurried up and they've all ran into the car.
0:18:09 > 0:18:10No injuries or anything,
0:18:10 > 0:18:13they just ran in and they've just drove off straight away.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16For Tom's father, things didn't add up.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19Suspecting a possible crash for cash scam,
0:18:19 > 0:18:21he alerted the Metropolitan police,
0:18:21 > 0:18:23where DC Roger Crawley took up the investigation.
0:18:25 > 0:18:28Mr Griffiths senior had seen a lot of publicity in the press,
0:18:28 > 0:18:31and therefore he thought that this was an induced collision
0:18:31 > 0:18:33and that the police should investigate it.
0:18:36 > 0:18:38We get information from all sorts of sources
0:18:38 > 0:18:41but, in those particular circumstances, to get a phone call
0:18:41 > 0:18:45from a father of a young man, I haven't had it before.
0:18:48 > 0:18:52And Roger wasted no time in getting to the bottom of what had happened.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55There were two vehicles in front of the victim's car.
0:18:55 > 0:18:57They were going round the roundabout.
0:18:58 > 0:19:02It looks as if both cars were committed to the exit.
0:19:02 > 0:19:05The front car suddenly swerved back onto the roundabout
0:19:05 > 0:19:08and shot off towards High Wycombe.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11The second vehicle slammed on its brakes and, unfortunately,
0:19:11 > 0:19:14Tom Griffiths, who was behind, wasn't able to brake in time
0:19:14 > 0:19:16and collided with the rear of the second vehicle.
0:19:19 > 0:19:21As Roger carried out his enquiries,
0:19:21 > 0:19:24it appeared that Tom's family's suspicions might be right.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28The male told him that he was the driver,
0:19:28 > 0:19:33but subsequently a note was handed to Tom Griffiths
0:19:33 > 0:19:36with details of Zanbi Mirza on it,
0:19:36 > 0:19:38and the claim was that she was the driver.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43As the investigation continued,
0:19:43 > 0:19:45the police turn their attention to the other vehicle
0:19:45 > 0:19:48involved in the collision and the people at the scene.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51I found out that the vehicle had only been registered
0:19:51 > 0:19:55in Zanbi Mirza's name for 12 days prior to the accident
0:19:55 > 0:19:57and the insurance had only been taken out four days earlier,
0:19:57 > 0:20:00both in her name and Mohammed Khalid's.
0:20:00 > 0:20:03I was immediately suspicious of the circumstances
0:20:03 > 0:20:07and, from previous experience, this is indicative of, perhaps,
0:20:07 > 0:20:09that it could be an induced collision.
0:20:11 > 0:20:13With the odds stacked against them,
0:20:13 > 0:20:16they were brought in for questioning.
0:20:16 > 0:20:17First up was Mirza.
0:20:18 > 0:20:22When I interviewed her, she denied any knowledge of the accident.
0:20:22 > 0:20:26She denied she'd had any contact with Khalid.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28She denied knowing him in any shape or form.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33However, Khalid had a completely different story.
0:20:34 > 0:20:38He told me that his daughter was best friends with Zanib Mirza
0:20:38 > 0:20:40and they went to college together,
0:20:40 > 0:20:43which totally threw everything that she'd said.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48Khalid also denied even being at the scene of the collision,
0:20:48 > 0:20:51but Roger has a vital piece of evidence that well and truly blew
0:20:51 > 0:20:54that defence right out of the water.
0:20:54 > 0:20:56There was a note that was handed by the person
0:20:56 > 0:21:01that purported to be the driver to Tom Griffiths.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04I subsequently had that forensically examined
0:21:04 > 0:21:10and I was able to prove that Mohammed Khalid must have handled that note,
0:21:10 > 0:21:14and therefore he must have been there at the time of the collision.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17With all evidence pointing toward them,
0:21:17 > 0:21:20the fraudsters appeared at Southwark Crown Court
0:21:20 > 0:21:23and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud.
0:21:23 > 0:21:27Mohammed Khalid was sentenced to ten months in prison.
0:21:27 > 0:21:32Zanib Mirza received 240 hours community service.
0:21:32 > 0:21:34The downfall was the forensic evidence, ultimately,
0:21:34 > 0:21:37and the fact that Tom Griffiths' father
0:21:37 > 0:21:41took it on himself to come to the police,
0:21:41 > 0:21:44and asked me to take up the mantle of investigating it,
0:21:44 > 0:21:47which we did and, obviously, then we were able
0:21:47 > 0:21:49to get the conviction at court.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53It's estimated that the cost of these fraudsters' con
0:21:53 > 0:21:56was going to be in the region of £10,000,
0:21:56 > 0:21:59but it doesn't just put a dent in the insurer's pockets.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02When it comes to car insurance, for young, inexperienced drivers,
0:22:02 > 0:22:07it's an expensive game, with cover costing, on average, over £1,000.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10Well, Tom Griffiths was only 19 years old and, as anyone would know,
0:22:10 > 0:22:1419-year-olds pay a huge amount in insurance.
0:22:14 > 0:22:15If they have an insurance claim,
0:22:15 > 0:22:18that premium is going to go up enormously, therefore,
0:22:18 > 0:22:22it's very unfair on somebody of that age to have to pay
0:22:22 > 0:22:26increased premiums for something that really wasn't their fault.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29News of the conviction has helped Tom to move on.
0:22:31 > 0:22:33The fact that they have faced justice now,
0:22:33 > 0:22:36I can go out and live my life. I can drive normally.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38I feel like I was just the unfortunate one
0:22:38 > 0:22:41in the wrong place at the wrong time, really.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44I couldn't have done anything else in what happened.
0:22:51 > 0:22:53Jetting off to South America to go backpacking
0:22:53 > 0:22:57sounds like a once-in-a-lifetime trip for most people.
0:22:57 > 0:23:01Taking in the sights and sounds of Venezuela would be a dream...
0:23:03 > 0:23:05..but sometimes the dream can turn sour.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15Fortunately, Simon Cooke from CEGA was on hand
0:23:15 > 0:23:19when one tourist trip turned into the holiday from hell.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24A customer told us he had been robbed at gunpoint
0:23:24 > 0:23:26and kidnapped in Venezuela.
0:23:34 > 0:23:36We take reports of kidnappings
0:23:36 > 0:23:39and robberies at gunpoint extremely seriously
0:23:39 > 0:23:42because this could be an entirely genuine claim.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48However, in the midst of this crisis, the claimant
0:23:48 > 0:23:51didn't approach the insurer in the usual fashion, but via e-mail.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56The e-mail was quite strange because in the subject line
0:23:56 > 0:23:59the customer had written, "Urgent!", with exclamation marks,
0:23:59 > 0:24:01And then, in the body of the e-mail,
0:24:01 > 0:24:04had stated that he been kidnapped and robbed.
0:24:05 > 0:24:09From the start, the customer's behaviour was cause for concern.
0:24:10 > 0:24:15We didn't understand why he wouldn't have just picked up the phone and called us.
0:24:15 > 0:24:17For such a serious incident such as a kidnapping,
0:24:17 > 0:24:20you would think that the customer would want to speak with
0:24:20 > 0:24:23someone straight away, to see how we can help him,
0:24:23 > 0:24:24give him some advice on,
0:24:24 > 0:24:27to go and see the consulate or something like that.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31Considering it was such a traumatic experience,
0:24:31 > 0:24:33the claimant's actions were suspicious enough...
0:24:37 > 0:24:41..but the items he was claiming for just didn't make any sense.
0:24:41 > 0:24:47The £8,000 claimed was for all manner of designer clothing,
0:24:47 > 0:24:49fishing equipment.
0:24:49 > 0:24:51A fishing rod? He obviously thought CEGA
0:24:51 > 0:24:54were going to fall for this, hook, line and sinker.
0:24:54 > 0:24:58He had also claimed 1,000 for personal care,
0:24:58 > 0:25:01which we just didn't understand what that was for.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04Personal care? I don't either, mate.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06But it seems like this potential fraudster
0:25:06 > 0:25:09had intentions of being the best dressed backpacker in town.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14It's quite unusual for your average backpacker to be carrying around
0:25:14 > 0:25:20£3,000 worth of designer clothing as they trek around South America.
0:25:20 > 0:25:24Suits you, sir! But it wasn't just the claimant's dapper dress sense
0:25:24 > 0:25:27that set off alarm bells.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30It's extremely unusual for someone to take out insurance cover
0:25:30 > 0:25:32solely for personal possessions,
0:25:32 > 0:25:35especially if they're backpacking around South America.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38You would expect them to also take out medical cover.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41Whilst the customer is entitled to take out whatever cover
0:25:41 > 0:25:43they feel is appropriate,
0:25:43 > 0:25:46we certainly think it's a bit of a red flag if a customer who's
0:25:46 > 0:25:50backpacking round South America wouldn't take out medical insurance.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54Since it had been such a serious incident, the insurer thought
0:25:54 > 0:25:56there would be something in the media,
0:25:56 > 0:25:58but their search threw up nothing.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01The police report made absolutely no mention
0:26:01 > 0:26:05that the customer had been kidnapped, which is extremely unusual,
0:26:05 > 0:26:09as we see many police reports from all over the world,
0:26:09 > 0:26:12and something as serious as this, whether it's in Venezuela
0:26:12 > 0:26:16or the UK, would be listed on the police report.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19When the claimant submitted his travel documents,
0:26:19 > 0:26:21he failed to get off to a flying start.
0:26:22 > 0:26:24We noted there were several irregularities
0:26:24 > 0:26:27in the booking invoice that he'd provided.
0:26:27 > 0:26:32Firstly, the airline flight number didn't relate to the said airline.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35We also noted the airline didn't even operate a route
0:26:35 > 0:26:39that was shown on the booking invoice, which was very strange.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42And one of the internal flights was eight hours prior to him
0:26:42 > 0:26:45even arriving in the USA.
0:26:45 > 0:26:47Yes, pointing out that you hadn't even
0:26:47 > 0:26:50landed in the US at the time was definitely a slip-up.
0:26:50 > 0:26:54We were not happy that this was a genuine booking invoice, at this point.
0:26:54 > 0:26:56No matter how many times the claimer tried,
0:26:56 > 0:26:59he just couldn't seem to get his claim off the ground.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02We challenged the customer with the irregularities
0:27:02 > 0:27:06and he told us that he had provided us the wrong booking invoice.
0:27:06 > 0:27:10He then subsequently provided us with another booking invoice
0:27:10 > 0:27:12and again there were more irregularities within that,
0:27:12 > 0:27:14because it showed that the booking
0:27:14 > 0:27:17was six months prior to him even taking out the policy.
0:27:18 > 0:27:22To CEGA, it was obvious that this potential fraudster had been
0:27:22 > 0:27:24looking for the sympathy vote.
0:27:24 > 0:27:28By reporting a kidnapping at gunpoint, I believe the customer
0:27:28 > 0:27:30thought that we would have more sympathy
0:27:30 > 0:27:33towards the circumstances that he's presented,
0:27:33 > 0:27:37when, in fact, that actually just raises more alarm bells.
0:27:37 > 0:27:41But the insurer wasn't going to be held to ransom.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44The fact that the customer provided us with a false booking invoice
0:27:44 > 0:27:49does cast serious doubts as to whether the kidnapping even occurred.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52For CEGA, this was a case of hands up.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56This wasn't a well thought out fraud at all.
0:27:56 > 0:27:58Unsurprisingly, we haven't heard anything
0:27:58 > 0:28:01further from the customer since we rejected the claim.
0:28:01 > 0:28:03He certainly wasn't a master criminal.