0:00:02 > 0:00:05Insurance fraud in the UK has hit epidemic levels.
0:00:05 > 0:00:08It is costing us over £1.3 billion every year.
0:00:08 > 0:00:11That's almost £3.6 million every day.
0:00:13 > 0:00:16Deliberate crashes, bogus personal injuries,
0:00:16 > 0:00:18even phantom pets.
0:00:19 > 0:00:21The fraudsters are risking more and more
0:00:21 > 0:00:24to make a quick killing and every year,
0:00:24 > 0:00:27it's adding over £50 to your insurance bill.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29But insurers are fighting back,
0:00:29 > 0:00:33exposing 14 fake claims every hour.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35Armed with covert surveillance systems...
0:00:35 > 0:00:37Subject out the vehicle.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40..sophisticated data analysis techniques...
0:00:42 > 0:00:43Police!
0:00:43 > 0:00:46..and a number of highly skilled police units.
0:00:46 > 0:00:47Police! Stay where you are.
0:00:47 > 0:00:49They are catching the criminals red-handed.
0:00:49 > 0:00:51Just don't lie to us.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54All those conmen, 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 > 0:01:09Today, a sports car's antifraud technology
0:01:09 > 0:01:11puts the brakes on a fraudster's lie.
0:01:23 > 0:01:24A drinker attempts to make a claim
0:01:24 > 0:01:27despite CCTV knocking back their story.
0:01:27 > 0:01:32The response we received back was that they were proceeding with the claim, we were shocked.
0:01:32 > 0:01:36How you can even suggest that that was a genuine claim was beyond Weatherspoons.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40And how this seemingly innocent hot-dog purchase
0:01:40 > 0:01:42is connected to a notorious fraud ring.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53With over 400,000 cars written off every year,
0:01:53 > 0:01:57drivers can be left stranded if they don't have replacement wheels.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01That's where credit hire companies come in.
0:02:01 > 0:02:06Neil Thomas is the director of investigation services at APU.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08What happens with credit hires
0:02:08 > 0:02:11is if the motorist is involved in a non-fault accident,
0:02:11 > 0:02:14they are entitled in law to a replacement, like-for-like car.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19So, if another driver damages your car in an accident
0:02:19 > 0:02:22that's their fault, the insurers will go to a credit hire company
0:02:22 > 0:02:24to source a hire car for you.
0:02:25 > 0:02:29Accident Exchange is a UK-wide credit hire company
0:02:29 > 0:02:31that specialises in the luxury end of the market.
0:02:31 > 0:02:35They have in excess of 2,000 top-of-the-range cars.
0:02:35 > 0:02:39We are talking Bentleys, Ferraris, Audi R8s -
0:02:39 > 0:02:42mainly the prestige side of the business.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45Probably worth in excess of £50 million worth of vehicles.
0:02:45 > 0:02:47The fleet of mind-blowing motors
0:02:47 > 0:02:49is a fraudster's dream.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53So Accident Exchange has developed its own high security technology.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57Neil recently investigated a case that was jump-started
0:02:57 > 0:03:00by the car's on-board security device.
0:03:00 > 0:03:02It all began innocently enough.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04Mr Kenton came into Accident Exchange
0:03:04 > 0:03:08because he'd had a genuine accident. His car was damaged,
0:03:08 > 0:03:12he's entitled in law to a like-for-like replacement.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15That is what he got - an Audi TT convertible.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19But soon after taking delivery of the replacement car,
0:03:19 > 0:03:23Kenton rang Accident Exchange to report that disaster had struck again.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28He said on the phone call that the car had been stolen.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48The Accident Exchange claims handler
0:03:48 > 0:03:51asked Mr Kenton for his take on how the car could have been stolen.
0:03:51 > 0:03:56No easy task with the vehicle's high security features.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59Mr Kenton thought that the keys had dropped from his tool box
0:03:59 > 0:04:03when he went into the house and he presumed that somebody
0:04:03 > 0:04:07had picked up the keys and stolen the car with the keys.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10When we looked at the explanation given by the client,
0:04:10 > 0:04:12it was clear that something wasn't right.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15At this stage, they weren't sure what.
0:04:15 > 0:04:19Luckily, the enhanced security technology will reveal all
0:04:19 > 0:04:22and the team called Mr Kenton to let him know.
0:04:41 > 0:04:43Was he putting on a front?
0:04:43 > 0:04:46Or was he genuinely pleased to hear about the tracker?
0:04:46 > 0:04:51The on-board technology, known as telematics, was about to uncover the truth.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54Telematics device takes the data directly from the car.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57It's almost like a black box inside an aeroplane.
0:04:57 > 0:04:59You can capture a lot of useful data,
0:04:59 > 0:05:02how the vehicle is performing.
0:05:02 > 0:05:06And critically where and when it is being driven.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08Using the telematics info,
0:05:08 > 0:05:11Neil was able to accurately track the car's location
0:05:11 > 0:05:13throughout the night in question.
0:05:13 > 0:05:15He'd done a number of journeys.
0:05:15 > 0:05:19The vehicle had been filled up with fuel at a petrol station.
0:05:19 > 0:05:21The refuelling happened
0:05:21 > 0:05:24some hours after Mr Kenton said he'd last used the car,
0:05:24 > 0:05:27which meant crucially that the petrol station's CCTV cameras
0:05:27 > 0:05:30would reveal the identity of the thief.
0:05:30 > 0:05:34Looking at the CCTV, we can clearly see the Audi TT
0:05:34 > 0:05:35driving up to the petrol pump
0:05:35 > 0:05:39and we can even see that the roof is down,
0:05:39 > 0:05:42which is good from CCTV evidence point of view.
0:05:42 > 0:05:46Interestingly, when the driver gets out of the vehicle,
0:05:46 > 0:05:50it's not the thief, it's Mr Kenton. This is a key bit of evidence.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54Far from supporting Mr Kenton's story,
0:05:54 > 0:05:59the CCTV blew it apart. The car had been in his possession all along.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02He had been caught lying about the car being stolen
0:06:02 > 0:06:05and further analysis of the telematics data
0:06:05 > 0:06:08revealed that's not all he had been up to that night.
0:06:08 > 0:06:13From there, it had been driven round again and at about 4:30 in the morning
0:06:13 > 0:06:16it had been involved in a serious collision.
0:06:16 > 0:06:20The speeds we are talking about are probably in excess of 90mph
0:06:20 > 0:06:26prior to the collision. The collision itself was at approximately 66mph.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29The vehicle has hit a number of stationary vehicles.
0:06:29 > 0:06:31He is lucky not to be injured.
0:06:31 > 0:06:32He ran off from the scene.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35There are a number of innocent motorists there
0:06:35 > 0:06:37that have had their cars damaged.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40He had been speeding, smashed into multiple vehicles
0:06:40 > 0:06:43and then left the scene of the accident,
0:06:43 > 0:06:46which was enough to drive him to lie about the car being stolen.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50As an ex-police officer, I've dealt with a number of serious collisions.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53In my opinion, it's a ridiculous speed
0:06:53 > 0:06:56to drive through a 30mph hour speed limit
0:06:56 > 0:06:58regardless of whatever time of day or night it is.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00He was fortunate, in a way, that it happened
0:07:00 > 0:07:03at 4:30 in the morning without any pedestrians.
0:07:03 > 0:07:07Goodness knows what would have happened if it had been 4:30 in the afternoon.
0:07:07 > 0:07:08Although no-one had been hurt,
0:07:08 > 0:07:11the car itself had reached the end of the road.
0:07:11 > 0:07:12Our vehicle, the Audi TT,
0:07:12 > 0:07:16which is worth about £35,000 was written off,
0:07:16 > 0:07:19totally written off by the insurance company.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22Mr Kenton had told a very expensive lie
0:07:22 > 0:07:24and Neil's team went to pay him a visit.
0:07:25 > 0:07:30He was keen for us to actually ask the client face-to-face exactly what had happened.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32He said in his statement to us
0:07:32 > 0:07:35he'd last seen the car at ten o'clock the previous night,
0:07:35 > 0:07:37didn't know anything about the accident,
0:07:37 > 0:07:40didn't know anything about the theft,
0:07:40 > 0:07:45so we got the recorded phone call and we got the written statement of truth from Mr Kenton.
0:07:45 > 0:07:49All of that, alongside the telematics data,
0:07:49 > 0:07:51showed that he wasn't telling the truth
0:07:51 > 0:07:56and actually proves beyond doubt that he's lied when he said the car was stolen.
0:07:56 > 0:08:00The evidence was passed to the police and the case went to court.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03He pleaded guilty to dangerous driving,
0:08:03 > 0:08:06perverting the course of justice where he was sentenced
0:08:06 > 0:08:08to 14 months' imprisonment,
0:08:08 > 0:08:10which just goes to show the seriousness
0:08:10 > 0:08:12the court system takes this sort of offence.
0:08:17 > 0:08:22Later, a personal injury claim for faulty furniture is toppled by CCTV.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25It's quite clear from the footage that it didn't happen.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28It's quite clear from the footage that she broke our chair.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31And it was quite clear from the footage
0:08:31 > 0:08:34that it wasn't a genuine accident and no injuries were sustained.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37And the claimant goes on the defensive
0:08:37 > 0:08:40when their motor insurance scam is stopped in its tracks.
0:08:54 > 0:08:56A big growth area in the fight against fraud
0:08:56 > 0:09:01is in specialist consultants like Tara Shelton of I-COG.
0:09:01 > 0:09:05She uses techniques that identify fraud more swiftly than normal,
0:09:05 > 0:09:08all thanks to her remarkable background as a police officer
0:09:08 > 0:09:10with a psychology degree.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13She can spot a fraudster with just a phone call.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16We use nearly 30 indicators
0:09:16 > 0:09:19to assist us in assessing that claim.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22I'm obviously not going to tell you what they are
0:09:22 > 0:09:24because I don't want to divulge that.
0:09:24 > 0:09:28One obvious trend that is presented to us
0:09:28 > 0:09:31case by case is where customers answer a question with a question
0:09:31 > 0:09:35to buy themselves thinking time of how to respond.
0:09:35 > 0:09:40This comes under the umbrella of what Tara terms evasive behaviour.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43They will intentionally try and divert the call handler
0:09:43 > 0:09:47away from the discussion at that present time.
0:09:47 > 0:09:52It may be because they feel uncomfortable and because they haven't prepared enough.
0:09:52 > 0:09:54As far as Tara's concerned,
0:09:54 > 0:09:57there is not one type of person who commits insurance fraud.
0:09:57 > 0:09:59I think the people that make claims
0:09:59 > 0:10:02actually range in how they present themselves.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05So you will get the individuals that are stupid.
0:10:05 > 0:10:09You will also get the individuals that don't even think that an insurer
0:10:09 > 0:10:11would assess a claim
0:10:11 > 0:10:15and that you should simply provide a police crime number
0:10:15 > 0:10:18and an invoice and that's all that's required.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22These are the ones that totally underestimate Tara
0:10:22 > 0:10:24and her associates in the industry.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27These days, all the information that's provided is analysed
0:10:27 > 0:10:31and cross-checked so fraudsters with skeletons in their closets
0:10:31 > 0:10:34find their past can come back to haunt them.
0:10:36 > 0:10:40Neil McFarlane is the managing director of TH March & Co,
0:10:40 > 0:10:43a company that provides specialist insurance for jewellery.
0:10:43 > 0:10:47They were contacted by a man who'd taken out a policy with the company.
0:10:47 > 0:10:52The claim was originally notified as relating to a ring
0:10:52 > 0:10:53and a chunky gold bracelet,
0:10:53 > 0:10:56which were stolen by means of assault by two raiders,
0:10:56 > 0:10:59with the combined value coming at just under £10,000.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16Being mugged isn't something you'd normally laugh about
0:11:16 > 0:11:19and that wasn't the only bizarre thing
0:11:19 > 0:11:21about the claimant's behaviour.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24What we found slightly unusual about the circumstance of this claim
0:11:24 > 0:11:28was that the assault took place outside the claimant's home.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31Rather than go back into his house, he got in his car,
0:11:31 > 0:11:33drove to an unknown destination
0:11:33 > 0:11:36and sat in his car for half an hour before contacting the police.
0:11:36 > 0:11:41The claimant's version of events simply didn't ring true.
0:11:41 > 0:11:44Because the value of this claim was nearly £10,000
0:11:44 > 0:11:48and the fact it wasn't immediately reported to the police straight after the incident,
0:11:48 > 0:11:51we found this to be slightly suspicious.
0:11:51 > 0:11:53If I had been assaulted outside my house, I don't know about you,
0:11:53 > 0:11:56but the first thing I would have done is gone back inside my home
0:11:56 > 0:11:58and phoned the police from there
0:11:58 > 0:12:00so they could attend the scene of the crime
0:12:00 > 0:12:02and carry out a search in the local area
0:12:02 > 0:12:05for the perpetrators of that particular attack.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08TH March decided that before the claim could be progressed,
0:12:08 > 0:12:10they needed more information.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13What made this particular case difficult
0:12:13 > 0:12:15was that upon further questioning,
0:12:15 > 0:12:18the claimant became quite evasive and tried to derail the conversation
0:12:18 > 0:12:21and take it away from the facts trying to be established.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37The claimant tries to steer the conversation
0:12:37 > 0:12:39away from the details of what happened
0:12:39 > 0:12:41and towards the claims procedure.
0:12:41 > 0:12:45Concerned, TH March looked into his past insurance history.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48What we found slightly strange is that 12 months beforehand,
0:12:48 > 0:12:53this particular claimant had also been assaulted at his home again by two attackers.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56Now, the chances of being assaulted once are quite remote.
0:12:56 > 0:13:01The chances of being assaulted twice within a 12-month period is extremely remote.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04So his home was either some sort of mugging hotspot
0:13:04 > 0:13:07or there was something decidedly dubious about the claim.
0:13:07 > 0:13:12Either way, TH March's investigations uncovered new evidence
0:13:12 > 0:13:15which meant the whole claim was indefinitely detained.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18We found out that he had a string of previous convictions
0:13:18 > 0:13:21which he did not disclose at the time of taking the policy,
0:13:21 > 0:13:23which made the policy worthless.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26When the claimant found out they'd rumbled his criminal past,
0:13:26 > 0:13:28he still tried to persist,
0:13:28 > 0:13:31assuming that a bit of smooth talking would sort everything out.
0:14:01 > 0:14:05Nope! As was clearly stated in the wording of the policy.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08Realising that not mentioning his past convictions
0:14:08 > 0:14:12means the chance of a pay-out is starting to look like ancient history,
0:14:12 > 0:14:15the man then attempts to plead his case.
0:14:41 > 0:14:43Well, he might not have thought it was a problem,
0:14:43 > 0:14:45but it wasn't up to him.
0:14:45 > 0:14:48We feel that, due to the circumstances of this particular claim,
0:14:48 > 0:14:51it was highly likely that it was a fraudulent claim.
0:14:51 > 0:14:56Unsurprisingly, this jewellery claim had lost its sparkle.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59It was rejected and the premium returned.
0:14:59 > 0:15:05My advice to anybody taking out a policy of insurance is be completely truthful.
0:15:05 > 0:15:07Honesty is always the best policy.
0:15:12 > 0:15:14For some, a quiet pint in the local
0:15:14 > 0:15:18can be a great way to kick-start the weekend after a busy week.
0:15:18 > 0:15:22What you don't expect is to be seriously injured.
0:15:22 > 0:15:27This CCTV shows a pub manager from UK-wide chain JD Wetherspoon
0:15:27 > 0:15:30hurrying to attend to an incident in the beer garden.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33A woman who claims to have been injured
0:15:33 > 0:15:34is seen next to a broken chair.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39She then hobbles back into the pub, assisted by a pal.
0:15:40 > 0:15:45Katie Doyle is part of JD Wetherspoon's in-house legal team.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48They were contacted by the injured woman's representatives
0:15:48 > 0:15:50with an account of what had happened.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53We received a letter from the claimant's solicitors
0:15:53 > 0:15:56outlining that the claimant had had a fall in the beer garden.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59The claimant said that she was sitting on the chair,
0:15:59 > 0:16:01the chair collapsed and when the chair collapsed,
0:16:01 > 0:16:03she also sustained personal injury.
0:16:03 > 0:16:07The woman was claiming that the accident had happened
0:16:07 > 0:16:10as a result of a defective chair and therefore the pub was at fault.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16On the face of it, her account matched
0:16:16 > 0:16:18what the pub manager had observed
0:16:18 > 0:16:20when he first arrived on the scene of the accident.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23But what the claimant didn't count on
0:16:23 > 0:16:27was another witness in the form of the pub garden CCTV camera.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30The pub manager revealed that he had the CCTV footage
0:16:30 > 0:16:33and it wasn't as the claimant was saying it was.
0:16:33 > 0:16:38In fact, rewinding the footage reveals a very different story.
0:16:38 > 0:16:43Six and a half minutes before the pub manager was called out to help the injured woman,
0:16:43 > 0:16:44this was what had happened.
0:16:44 > 0:16:48The claimant was sitting at one end of the beer garden,
0:16:48 > 0:16:49but it was in the shade.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52She then decided to move with the rest of her party
0:16:52 > 0:16:54to the other side of the beer garden.
0:16:54 > 0:16:58They then realised that the arm of the chair was a little bit wobbly.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00She started wobbling the arm of the chair.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04Something tells me she wasn't a qualified carpenter
0:17:04 > 0:17:07interested in the chair's construction.
0:17:09 > 0:17:11They then broke the arm of the chair.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14What they then realised is that this could be a potential claim
0:17:14 > 0:17:15so they picked up the chair,
0:17:15 > 0:17:18moved it and positioned it on its side on the floor,
0:17:18 > 0:17:21at which point the claimant positioned herself
0:17:21 > 0:17:24as if the chair had collapsed from beneath her.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30The pub manager is then called and comes out to offer assistance.
0:17:30 > 0:17:32So it was clear from the CCTV footage
0:17:32 > 0:17:36that the incident didn't occur as the claimant was saying it did.
0:17:36 > 0:17:40She broke the chair and caused the chair to then be a hazard.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43So alarm bells started to ring at head office.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46The legal department obviously realised it wasn't a genuine claim.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49The legal team informed the claimant's solicitors
0:17:49 > 0:17:53that due to the CCTV evidence, they weren't going to admit liability.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57At this point, they expected the claimant to take a seat.
0:17:57 > 0:17:59The response we received back
0:17:59 > 0:18:02was that they were proceeding with the claim,
0:18:02 > 0:18:05we were at fault and that we had a responsibility to the customer
0:18:05 > 0:18:07to provide a chair that was safe.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10They were going to continue to the end with the claim
0:18:10 > 0:18:14and they would fight it to the courts if they needed to. We were shocked!
0:18:14 > 0:18:16How you could even suggest that was a genuine claim
0:18:16 > 0:18:18was beyond Wetherspoons.
0:18:18 > 0:18:20It's quite clear from the footage that it didn't happen.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23It's quite clear from the footage that she broke our chair
0:18:23 > 0:18:25and it was quite clear from the footage
0:18:25 > 0:18:29that it wasn't a genuine accident and no injuries were sustained.
0:18:29 > 0:18:31The legal team then sent the solicitors
0:18:31 > 0:18:35a copy of the footage to prove the woman's claim hadn't got legs.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38I think it was at that point that she realised she had been found out.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41Wetherspoons had well and truly got the measure of the claimant
0:18:41 > 0:18:44and they never heard from her again.
0:18:44 > 0:18:46They are opportunists and that's all they are.
0:18:46 > 0:18:50They're looking for a quick buck and because we are a big company,
0:18:50 > 0:18:51they presume that we've got money
0:18:51 > 0:18:54and they can pursue a successful claim against us,
0:18:54 > 0:18:56which is actually quite frustrating.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04The Wetherspoons One didn't even bother to fake a fall.
0:19:04 > 0:19:08But across the pond, the fraudsters are a bit more method,
0:19:08 > 0:19:12throwing themselves into the role to put on a convincing performance.
0:19:13 > 0:19:15What could be more American
0:19:15 > 0:19:18than a family outing that combines shopping and fast food?
0:19:20 > 0:19:23Seen here entering his local supermarket,
0:19:23 > 0:19:26Tommy Masterson goes straight to the snack section
0:19:26 > 0:19:28to stock up on a hot dog.
0:19:32 > 0:19:36Minutes later, an apparently unrelated incident occurs
0:19:36 > 0:19:38when, in another part of the supermarket,
0:19:38 > 0:19:40Lesa Bonilla suffers a horrific accident.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47The dramatic fall leaves her floored and helpless.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52Other shoppers rush to the women's apparel section to help
0:19:52 > 0:19:56and the Phoenix Fire Department is on the scene within minutes,
0:19:56 > 0:20:01ensuring that the stricken shopper is given the first aid she so desperately requires.
0:20:03 > 0:20:05Bonilla later contacted the supermarket
0:20:05 > 0:20:08to claim compensation for her injuries,
0:20:08 > 0:20:12which she alleged had been caused by slipping on an unattended hot dog.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15She claimed the company had been negligent by not making
0:20:15 > 0:20:17the floor safe for shoppers.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21The supermarket decided to check out her story
0:20:21 > 0:20:24and investigators studied the store's CCTV.
0:20:25 > 0:20:29It was only then that they realised that Masterson's hot dog purchase
0:20:29 > 0:20:32and Bonilla's fall were in fact related.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36The fall certainly looks dramatic, but seconds before,
0:20:36 > 0:20:40Masterson appears, hot dog in hand, apparently scanning the area.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43He quickly places his hot dog on the floor,
0:20:43 > 0:20:46motions to his small companion to keep quiet and then scarpers.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50Exactly ten seconds later,
0:20:50 > 0:20:52Lesa Bonilla appears with her basket
0:20:52 > 0:20:55and in the exact place where Masterson left the hot dog,
0:20:55 > 0:20:57she executes her fall.
0:20:58 > 0:20:59Let's see that again.
0:20:59 > 0:21:01Hot dog down!
0:21:01 > 0:21:03Slip up!
0:21:03 > 0:21:05Fake accident ahoy!
0:21:07 > 0:21:10They were in it together, but their plan had hit a snag.
0:21:10 > 0:21:15The CCTV footage showed they'd been telling porkies about Bonilla's accident.
0:21:15 > 0:21:18Far from suffering a freak injury involving an errant sausage,
0:21:18 > 0:21:21Masterson had deliberately placed it on the floor
0:21:21 > 0:21:23for his accomplice to slip on.
0:21:25 > 0:21:29The supermarket wasn't prepared to swallow the slippery hot dog story.
0:21:29 > 0:21:34They threw out the claim and passed their evidence to the authorities.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37It subsequently emerged that the dubious duo
0:21:37 > 0:21:40had used the slip-and-fall scam in two other locations,
0:21:40 > 0:21:44each time claiming that a hazardous hot dog had been the main culprit.
0:21:45 > 0:21:50If Masterson and Bonilla thought their scam would bring home the bacon, they were wrong.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53At court, they both pleaded guilty to insurance fraud.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56Masterson received three years' probation and a fine
0:21:56 > 0:21:59and Bonilla was sentenced to a year in the slammer.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06SIREN WAILS
0:22:06 > 0:22:1120 years ago, car thefts stood at over 600,000 per year.
0:22:12 > 0:22:14But, thanks to advances in vehicle security,
0:22:14 > 0:22:17thefts have dropped to a fraction of that total.
0:22:17 > 0:22:21Even so, it's still a major concern for drivers.
0:22:21 > 0:22:25One policy holder who experienced this first-hand was Miss Carr.
0:22:25 > 0:22:27LV's Clare Lunn worked on the case.
0:22:27 > 0:22:31The claim was reported to the LV claims department
0:22:31 > 0:22:35and it involved the theft of a BMW,
0:22:35 > 0:22:39which was worth in the region of £10,000.
0:22:54 > 0:22:58During the phone call, Miss Carr seemed vague about the details
0:22:58 > 0:23:00and the insurers became concerned.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03The sequence of events that she gave
0:23:03 > 0:23:08with regards to the theft of the vehicle were inconsistent
0:23:08 > 0:23:12and therefore we felt that we needed to investigate it further.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14During a subsequent call,
0:23:14 > 0:23:18the claims handler requested the vehicle documents and the keys,
0:23:18 > 0:23:21the claimant having confirmed that she still had both sets.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47"Bang out of order" is a description
0:23:47 > 0:23:51that could also be applied to the keys that she eventually sent in.
0:23:51 > 0:23:57When we received the two sets of keys, they were obviously different.
0:23:57 > 0:24:02They were a different shape, a different size, a different weight
0:24:02 > 0:24:06and when we investigated one set of the keys in more detail,
0:24:06 > 0:24:09it literally sort of broke in our hands.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12At this point, you immediately start to doubt
0:24:12 > 0:24:15what the insured has told us
0:24:15 > 0:24:18about the circumstances relating to the theft
0:24:18 > 0:24:23and you start wondering what's happened to the original keys
0:24:23 > 0:24:26and were they used to steal the vehicle.
0:24:26 > 0:24:28The keys were sent off for testing
0:24:28 > 0:24:30and the claims handler called again
0:24:30 > 0:24:33to try and unlock the inconsistencies in the case.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09Even Miss Carr seemed unsure which key was which
0:25:09 > 0:25:12and she started to go on the defensive.
0:25:27 > 0:25:32The key manufacturers then came back to LV with the results of the tests.
0:25:32 > 0:25:39They advised that the key that had fallen apart was a false key
0:25:39 > 0:25:44and the other key wasn't actually registered to the claimant's vehicle
0:25:44 > 0:25:48and hadn't actually been used since 2010
0:25:48 > 0:25:52so we now knew that the claimant
0:25:52 > 0:25:56had actually told us an untruth.
0:25:56 > 0:25:58With evidence that Miss Carr had lied,
0:25:58 > 0:26:03Clare felt she had more than enough grounds to shut the door on the case.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07At that point, we repudiated the claim
0:26:07 > 0:26:11and we passed our concerns on to the police.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13They launched an investigation
0:26:13 > 0:26:17and finally the true story of the missing car was revealed.
0:26:17 > 0:26:22The police discovered that our claimant had in fact
0:26:22 > 0:26:24arranged with a male associate
0:26:24 > 0:26:29for them to take her vehicle and sell the vehicle for parts.
0:26:30 > 0:26:32The theft of the vehicle never occurred
0:26:32 > 0:26:37and it was a staged theft all along.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40The male associate stood to gain financially
0:26:40 > 0:26:42from the sale of the vehicle and the parts
0:26:42 > 0:26:45and our claimant put in a fraudulent claim
0:26:45 > 0:26:48so that they were going to gain financially
0:26:48 > 0:26:52from an insurance claim in the region of £10,000.
0:26:52 > 0:26:57It was a brazen attempt to defraud the insurers and dispose of the vehicle,
0:26:57 > 0:27:02but Miss Carr wasn't prepared to walk away with nothing once her claim was rejected.
0:27:02 > 0:27:04She then called the male
0:27:04 > 0:27:10and demanded 50% of the money that he'd made from the vehicle.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13When he refused to give her any money,
0:27:13 > 0:27:16then she threatened the male,
0:27:16 > 0:27:19saying that she'd actually contact the police
0:27:19 > 0:27:22and say that he'd stolen her vehicle.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25Fortunately for the man,
0:27:25 > 0:27:29he had thought to record the call recordings
0:27:29 > 0:27:32between him and our claimant
0:27:32 > 0:27:37and he passed those over to the police for their investigation.
0:27:40 > 0:27:44With the evidence closing in, the case proceeded to court.
0:27:44 > 0:27:50Our claimant, Miss Carr, was prosecuted and found guilty of fraud.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53She received a fine of £620
0:27:53 > 0:27:58and was ordered to complete 200 hours of community service.
0:27:58 > 0:28:02This sends out a strong message to any have-a-go fraudster
0:28:02 > 0:28:05that insurance is not an easy target
0:28:05 > 0:28:10and that we will push for the most severe sentence.