0:00:03 > 0:00:05Insurance fraud in the UK has hit epidemic levels.
0:00:05 > 0:00:08It's costing us over one billion pounds every year.
0:00:08 > 0:00:11That's almost 3.5 million pounds every day.
0:00:13 > 0:00:19Deliberate crashes, bogus personal injuries, even phantom pets.
0:00:19 > 0:00:23The fraudsters are risking more and more to make a quick killing
0:00:23 > 0:00:27and every year it's adding over £50 to your insurance bill.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29But insurers are fighting back,
0:00:29 > 0:00:32exposing just under 15 fake claims every hour.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35Armed with covert surveillance systems...
0:00:35 > 0:00:37That's the subject out the vehicle.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40..sophisticated data analysis techniques...
0:00:40 > 0:00:43Police!
0:00:43 > 0:00:45..and a number of highly skilled police units...
0:00:45 > 0:00:47Police! Don't move, stay where you are!
0:00:47 > 0:00:49..they're catching the criminals red-handed.
0:00:49 > 0:00:51Just don't lie to us.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54All those con men, scammers and cheats on the fiddle are now
0:00:54 > 0:00:58caught in the act and Claimed And Shamed.
0:01:05 > 0:01:06Coming up,
0:01:06 > 0:01:09a gentle afternoon drive leads one unsuspecting motorist
0:01:09 > 0:01:12headfirst into a crash for cash scam.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14There's absolutely no reason for those brakes to come on.
0:01:14 > 0:01:16This is an induced collision.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19One claimant needs to brush up on his communication skills.
0:01:19 > 0:01:21He couldn't stop himself calling me "love".
0:01:25 > 0:01:29And a moped rider's claim falls flat.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32Crucially, he wasn't at the point on the road where
0:01:32 > 0:01:34he alleged the accident happened.
0:01:40 > 0:01:44The City of London Police's Insurance Fraud Enforcement
0:01:44 > 0:01:46Department, or IFED, is a dedicated team of detectives,
0:01:46 > 0:01:49committed to stopping insurance fraud cheats.
0:01:49 > 0:01:53Since IFED started at the beginning of 2012,
0:01:53 > 0:01:581,200 individuals have been either arrested or interviewed
0:01:58 > 0:02:01under caution, and suspected of insurance fraud.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04This elite squad has prevented millions of pounds being paid
0:02:04 > 0:02:07out to criminals in fraudulent claims.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10From now on, insurance cheats need to look over their shoulders.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13Insurance fraud isn't easy money, it has risks and consequences.
0:02:13 > 0:02:17You could get a criminal conviction and you can go to jail.
0:02:17 > 0:02:19Police! Don't move, stay where you are!
0:02:19 > 0:02:23As anyone who's been involved in a collision will tell you,
0:02:23 > 0:02:26the aftermath can be an unpleasant and often costly experience, but
0:02:26 > 0:02:30an increasing number of motorists are turning to technology to protect
0:02:30 > 0:02:34themselves from being unfairly blamed in the event of an accident.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39Over the last few years, as costs have come down, more and more
0:02:39 > 0:02:43people have been making use of their own dashcams in their vehicles and
0:02:43 > 0:02:47these are proving to be very useful for things such as insurance claims.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50In the 12 months leading up to February this year,
0:02:50 > 0:02:55dashcam sales increased by a whopping 918% in Britain.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59They're usually seen in commercial vehicles, sat next to the
0:02:59 > 0:03:01furry dice, but with cameras now costing as little
0:03:01 > 0:03:06as £30, you can see why the public are starting to catch on too.
0:03:06 > 0:03:08Like this driver here,
0:03:08 > 0:03:11but as he took his brand-new dashboard camera out
0:03:11 > 0:03:16for its maiden voyage the last thing he was expecting to happen was this.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23After the accident the driver's insurance company, LV,
0:03:23 > 0:03:26received a claim from the person behind the wheel of the silver car
0:03:26 > 0:03:30in front, Miss Elena Khan.
0:03:30 > 0:03:36The total that was being claimed for was over £26,000. And that came
0:03:36 > 0:03:40about because of the cost of repair to the vehicle damaged, but also
0:03:40 > 0:03:46a credit hire car to replace that car, the storage of the damaged
0:03:46 > 0:03:49vehicle and to cover personal injury to Miss Khan herself.
0:03:49 > 0:03:53Fortunately, the dashcam footage supplied by their customer provided
0:03:53 > 0:03:57LV with the perfect eyewitness account of what had happened.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01However, upon examining it, they realised something wasn't
0:04:01 > 0:04:05quite right and passed the case on to the Insurance Fraud
0:04:05 > 0:04:08Enforcement Department, who took up the investigation.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13Khan said that she'd been driving through the town centre of
0:04:13 > 0:04:16Manchester at quite a busy time of day - lots of other cars and people
0:04:16 > 0:04:21around - when she'd been caused to come to an emergency stop and that
0:04:21 > 0:04:25is what caused the car following her to collide with the back of her.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29From what Miss Khan told her insurance company, this
0:04:29 > 0:04:32appeared to be a genuine accident much like any other
0:04:32 > 0:04:35that happens up and down the country every day.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38After watching the footage, IFED investigators soon shared
0:04:38 > 0:04:42the insurer's concerns that this was anything but a genuine accident.
0:04:44 > 0:04:49There were a number of things about this claim that raised suspicions.
0:04:49 > 0:04:55OK, so, as you can see, this is Miss Khan's silver Audi in front.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58The road is clear in front of the silver Audi
0:04:58 > 0:05:02and there it goes, the brakes come on,
0:05:02 > 0:05:06but there's absolutely no reason for those brakes to come on.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09There's nothing in front - this is an induced collision.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12As if Miss Khan slamming on her brakes for no apparent reason
0:05:12 > 0:05:16wasn't suspicious enough, the footage also highlighted something
0:05:16 > 0:05:18else that pointed toward foul play.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23What the dashcam footage also shows is that the following driver
0:05:23 > 0:05:25had absolutely no way of avoiding a collision,
0:05:25 > 0:05:28because he can't move over to the left, he's being boxed
0:05:28 > 0:05:31in by another black Audi vehicle.
0:05:31 > 0:05:35This is quite a classic kind of, MO. You have to have
0:05:35 > 0:05:40another vehicle there to either act as a decoy, to nominally
0:05:40 > 0:05:44cause the brakes to come on or to force the following vehicle -
0:05:44 > 0:05:49the target - that has got nowhere else to go, so it has to crash.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52As the two cars wait alongside each other at the traffic lights,
0:05:52 > 0:05:54their trap was set.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57And seconds after the impact,
0:05:57 > 0:06:01we see the black Audi, which has been positioned alongside
0:06:01 > 0:06:05the whole time, to prevent the victim from avoiding the collision.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10Convinced that they were dealing with a classic case of
0:06:10 > 0:06:13"crash for cash" IFED continued with their investigation.
0:06:13 > 0:06:15And as they looked into Khan's car,
0:06:15 > 0:06:17the evidence really began to pile up.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22Part of the costs of this claim were the courtesy car replacement
0:06:22 > 0:06:25vehicle for Miss Khan's Audi, a black Audi,
0:06:25 > 0:06:28and the investigation revealed that the car boxing in the other
0:06:28 > 0:06:32driver was the car that she later used as a courtesy car.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36So not only had Khan deliberately caused the crash with
0:06:36 > 0:06:39an unsuspecting driver, she also had the nerve to
0:06:39 > 0:06:44claim for a courtesy car when in fact it belonged to her accomplice.
0:06:44 > 0:06:48But Khan's lies didn't end there.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51According to Miss Khan, her silver Audi was undriveable
0:06:51 > 0:06:55and so it needed to be in storage at high expense.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58When we looked at traffic cameras, it was still being driven around,
0:06:58 > 0:07:00so it clearly was still driveable.
0:07:00 > 0:07:04With every element of Khan's claim proving to be fraudulent,
0:07:04 > 0:07:08IFED turned their attention to the claims management company, who were
0:07:08 > 0:07:13pursuing the claim on her behalf, AMC Claims Ltd, in Manchester.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18AMC's role was to work between Miss Khan
0:07:18 > 0:07:21and the other driver's insurance company in organising things, such
0:07:21 > 0:07:24as the credit hire and any medical examinations that were required.
0:07:24 > 0:07:26On the face of it,
0:07:26 > 0:07:29AMC Claims was a legitimate claims management company like any other.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32However, further investigation revealed that
0:07:32 > 0:07:36the owner of AMC Claims Ltd, Sarfaraz Ahmed,
0:07:36 > 0:07:39was actually friends with the driver of the black Audi, Camran Yassin.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42And that wasn't all.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45The deeper we investigated into the circumstance of this collision,
0:07:45 > 0:07:49the more it became apparent that it was all set up from the start
0:07:49 > 0:07:53and they had a plan. The vehicles were added to insurance policies
0:07:53 > 0:07:56just before this all happened and there was clear evidence that
0:07:56 > 0:08:01they'd been in close contact leading up to and just after the collision.
0:08:01 > 0:08:03With proof that the drivers of both Audis
0:08:03 > 0:08:06and the owner of the claims management company
0:08:06 > 0:08:10were in on the scam from the start, IFED arrested all three.
0:08:10 > 0:08:15This web of fraud had been exposed, thanks to one trusty eyewitness.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18The dashcam footage was hugely significant, it gave us lots
0:08:18 > 0:08:22of lines of investigation to follow and it enabled us to confront
0:08:22 > 0:08:26Ms Khan with the real circumstances of what had happened that day.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29At trial, all three of those people were found guilty by a judge.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32I don't think any of those three people were surprised to be
0:08:32 > 0:08:35arrested, but certainly, they showed no remorse whatsoever
0:08:35 > 0:08:38throughout our investigation or at court.
0:08:38 > 0:08:40Justice was served when Elena Khan
0:08:40 > 0:08:44received a 14 month suspended sentence, and Camran Yassin,
0:08:44 > 0:08:47who was behind the wheel of the black Audi, received
0:08:47 > 0:08:51a 16 month suspended sentence, along with 280 hours of community service.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56The owner of the claims company, Sarfaraz Ahmed,
0:08:56 > 0:09:00also pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03I think this goes to show that insurance fraud isn't a victimless
0:09:03 > 0:09:06crime that happens with a load of paper being moved around somewhere,
0:09:06 > 0:09:09it happens on our streets. It is almost like daylight robbery.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12I think if these three hadn't have been stopped, they'd have
0:09:12 > 0:09:15carried on orchestrating collisions on the roads
0:09:15 > 0:09:16and hurting members of the public.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19Sadly, in this country, we have had serious injuries
0:09:19 > 0:09:22and deaths from "crash for cash" scams and that shows why it's
0:09:22 > 0:09:26so important to investigate and to stop people like this.
0:09:30 > 0:09:34Still to come, a pothole prang is investigated.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36The nature of the pothole didn't look to us to be of the type
0:09:36 > 0:09:40of severity that would cause someone to come off their bike.
0:09:40 > 0:09:44And an apparent victim of theft isn't in the mood for talking.
0:09:44 > 0:09:46Before we even got to discuss anything,
0:09:46 > 0:09:49the customer strangely decided to terminate the call.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01Increasingly, insurers are turning to dedicated
0:10:01 > 0:10:03claims-handling companies.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06I-cog use specialist techniques to weed out the genuine
0:10:06 > 0:10:08claims from the bogus ones.
0:10:08 > 0:10:10Managing Director, Tara Shelton,
0:10:10 > 0:10:13has dealt with hundreds of claims over the years.
0:10:13 > 0:10:17With one of the most common claims being hi-tech camera
0:10:17 > 0:10:19equipment, Tara and her team have
0:10:19 > 0:10:23so far saved the media industry over a million pounds. And of all
0:10:23 > 0:10:28the cases of nicked kit she's dealt with, one in particular stands out.
0:10:28 > 0:10:32He had hired equipment, he said, to make a music video
0:10:32 > 0:10:36over the weekend, in the famous Brick Lane in London.
0:10:38 > 0:10:42He reported to having made this music video
0:10:42 > 0:10:47and the equipment was therefore returned to the home address
0:10:47 > 0:10:49and was stored there overnight,
0:10:49 > 0:10:53so that he could return the equipment as per the hire agreement.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55But it was at this point our claimant's fortunes took
0:10:55 > 0:10:57a turn for the worse.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00When he said that he got up at 5am
0:11:00 > 0:11:03for work the following morning, he'd found that the rear
0:11:03 > 0:11:07conservatory had been broken into and the entire equipment that
0:11:07 > 0:11:09had been hired had actually been stolen.
0:11:09 > 0:11:13With almost 100 grand's worth of hi-tech kit missing,
0:11:13 > 0:11:15most of us would be bending over backwards to try
0:11:15 > 0:11:18and get things sorted, but not this chap.
0:11:18 > 0:11:22This particular claimant was very difficult to get onto the phone.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25He would make many excuses as to why he wouldn't be available to
0:11:25 > 0:11:29speak with us. But we made it quite clear that the
0:11:29 > 0:11:33claim couldn't progress without this call taking place, and eventually
0:11:33 > 0:11:38he gave up his lunch break on one particular day to speak with us.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41But rather than move his claim forward, the phone call well
0:11:41 > 0:11:44and truly put the skids on it.
0:11:44 > 0:11:48What he explained on the phone call was very alarming,
0:11:48 > 0:11:53because he had absolutely no depth and no detail to offer about
0:11:53 > 0:11:54the incident.
0:11:54 > 0:11:58One example of this was what it was he actually saw,
0:11:58 > 0:12:02when he came down the stairs and saw the that equipment had been taken.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21Unsurprisingly,
0:12:21 > 0:12:25such a vague account wasn't exactly ticking all the boxes for Tara.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28But what was even more interesting about this particular
0:12:28 > 0:12:34claimant is he said there were about 20 people involved in that project.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37An extensive cast and crew would surely mean that Tara could
0:12:37 > 0:12:39finally get some answers.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02He might not have been much of a talker, but judging
0:13:02 > 0:13:04by the level of cover he'd taken out,
0:13:04 > 0:13:07this fella clearly knew his stuff.
0:13:07 > 0:13:11This particular policy is quite a specialist scheme policy,
0:13:11 > 0:13:15where it's purchased from a broker and it's predominantly for people
0:13:15 > 0:13:19who actually do work in the media industry. So in other words, you
0:13:19 > 0:13:23would need to be suitable for the policy by having that experience.
0:13:23 > 0:13:25So it sounds like this chap was rubbing shoulders with
0:13:25 > 0:13:27the likes of Spielberg.
0:13:36 > 0:13:41Unlike the shelves in the warehouse, this claim wasn't stacking up.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44This particular claimant had hired the equipment providing references
0:13:44 > 0:13:48from the media industry to substantiate that he had
0:13:48 > 0:13:50that experience.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02So he doesn't remember that he provided references to hire
0:14:02 > 0:14:05the kit, didn't have the right experience to hire the kit,
0:14:05 > 0:14:08didn't want to give the names of his cast and crew
0:14:08 > 0:14:11and couldn't provide any of the details Tara was asking for.
0:14:11 > 0:14:13It was hardly going well,
0:14:13 > 0:14:16but, as always, Tara was keen to keep it professional.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19He couldn't stop himself calling me "love"
0:14:19 > 0:14:22and I don't really like that very much.
0:14:35 > 0:14:38That doesn't sound like too much of a challenge, does it?
0:14:47 > 0:14:50But with nerves getting the better of him,
0:14:50 > 0:14:52he just couldn't help putting his foot in it.
0:15:14 > 0:15:18By now, Tara well and truly had this chap's number.
0:15:18 > 0:15:23He's probably the most poorly planned fraudster I think
0:15:23 > 0:15:25I've ever come across.
0:15:29 > 0:15:33He was a combination of a high-stress response,
0:15:33 > 0:15:37because he was lying, but also he didn't have the almost
0:15:37 > 0:15:41intellectual ability to carry the story off. So he was just
0:15:41 > 0:15:44almost filled with frustration inside himself for not being
0:15:44 > 0:15:47able to, you know, in essence, play his role and win me over.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49It just wasn't working.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54Just wasn't working.
0:16:17 > 0:16:22When I explained to him that I did have concerns with the claim,
0:16:22 > 0:16:24he became very upset.
0:16:40 > 0:16:44The net was closing in on this questionable claimant.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47As ever, Tara and her team had done their homework and already
0:16:47 > 0:16:51examined his finances and one transaction caught their eye.
0:16:51 > 0:16:55And it was just evidently clear from the very beginning that he
0:16:55 > 0:16:59was caught between us and whatever agreement
0:16:59 > 0:17:03he had made about disposing of the equipment for potentially
0:17:03 > 0:17:06financial gain. And we did, actually, by working
0:17:06 > 0:17:10with the police, locate a large payment into his bank account,
0:17:10 > 0:17:12after I had spoken to him.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15The evidence was mounting,
0:17:15 > 0:17:17but the claimant's biggest faux pas was still to come.
0:17:17 > 0:17:19And unfortunately for him,
0:17:19 > 0:17:22we proved that he wasn't filming in Brick Lane making a music video,
0:17:22 > 0:17:26he was actually at work, because he'd clocked himself in and out.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29Time was well and truly up for this chap.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32The conclusion of this claim was the right one.
0:17:32 > 0:17:36We invoked the fraud condition and the policy was void
0:17:36 > 0:17:38as if it never existed.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59Even those that want to try and defraud insurers
0:17:59 > 0:18:02and plan and plan and plan,
0:18:02 > 0:18:05think they've got their story watertight,
0:18:05 > 0:18:07will still get found out.
0:18:07 > 0:18:11He thought it would be easy, he thought it would be easy
0:18:11 > 0:18:13and it isn't easy.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22There are over 180,000 road accidents each year
0:18:22 > 0:18:25and statistics say that
0:18:25 > 0:18:29if you're on two wheels then you're more likely to be seriously injured.
0:18:30 > 0:18:34Peter Wake is a partner at law firm, Weightmans, who represent
0:18:34 > 0:18:38Halton Borough Council. And in 2010, they received a claim
0:18:38 > 0:18:42from a moped rider who was holding them responsible for a recent fall.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45The initial claim, brought by Mr Condrant,
0:18:45 > 0:18:48was for £50,000 worth of damages. That's personal injury damages
0:18:48 > 0:18:51and loss of earnings
0:18:51 > 0:18:55in relation to an alleged accident on the highway when he said he'd
0:18:55 > 0:18:59fallen off his moped as a result of an alleged pothole in the road.
0:18:59 > 0:19:02The rider was Daniel Condrant.
0:19:02 > 0:19:05And according to the details on his claim form,
0:19:05 > 0:19:08the effects of the fall were long-lasting.
0:19:13 > 0:19:18The injuries that he alleged were a broken right leg, alongside
0:19:18 > 0:19:20psychological injuries as well.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22After the accident, Mr Condrant
0:19:22 > 0:19:25instructed a local firm of personal injury solicitors to bring
0:19:25 > 0:19:28a claim against the council. The basis of the claim was
0:19:28 > 0:19:32that his accident was caused by a pothole in the road, and therefore
0:19:32 > 0:19:35he alleged the council was liable for failing to maintain the road.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38Faced with a hefty bill,
0:19:38 > 0:19:42and keen to avoid further mishaps with other road users, the council
0:19:42 > 0:19:45took a closer look at the pothole that had caused so much damage.
0:19:45 > 0:19:49There was nothing obvious to suggest that the accident hadn't
0:19:49 > 0:19:52occurred as he alleged, but we were concerned
0:19:52 > 0:19:55because the nature of the pothole didn't look to us to be of the
0:19:55 > 0:19:59type of severity that would cause someone to come off their bike.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02But Condrant wasn't having any of it
0:20:02 > 0:20:04and decided to take the council to court.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07Which is where Peter and his team came in.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10The council instructed Weightmans to act on their behalf.
0:20:10 > 0:20:14As part of our investigation, we carry out specialist fraud
0:20:14 > 0:20:17enquiries in relation to background searches, investigations,
0:20:17 > 0:20:21using all our systems and expertise, in an effort to identify
0:20:21 > 0:20:24whether there's anything that might suggest the claim is fraudulent.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27In the course of these enquires, we established that the police
0:20:27 > 0:20:30had actually attended the location of the accident immediately
0:20:30 > 0:20:34afterwards and therefore we were able to contact the police officer
0:20:34 > 0:20:38who had been in attendance and who had prepared a police report.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41As anyone who's been involved in a road accident will tell you,
0:20:41 > 0:20:44a reliable witness is crucial.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47She confirmed that she had been in the location after
0:20:47 > 0:20:49the accident has happened and she saw Mr Condrant
0:20:49 > 0:20:51at the side of the road.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53So far the claim made sense.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56Crucially, he wasn't at the point on the road where
0:20:56 > 0:20:58he alleged the accident had happened.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00He was a considerable distance away from that
0:21:00 > 0:21:02point at the side of the road.
0:21:02 > 0:21:07Their stories didn't quite match and, unfortunately for Mr Condrant,
0:21:07 > 0:21:10the officer also mentioned a conversation she'd had with him.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13He'd also confirmed to the police officer that he didn't know
0:21:13 > 0:21:18what had caused the accident, but that he'd hit the kerb and skidded.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21He made no mention of a pothole causing the accident or
0:21:21 > 0:21:26indeed a pothole at the location that he subsequently alleged.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30With evidence like that, it'll come as no surprise that Condrant's
0:21:30 > 0:21:33case really did hit the skids when it got to county court.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35We'd obviously produced a detailed witness
0:21:35 > 0:21:39statement from the police officer. It was at that point that the
0:21:39 > 0:21:42civil claim for compensation was almost immediately withdrawn.
0:21:42 > 0:21:45So after the claim had been withdrawn, obviously
0:21:45 > 0:21:48the council was firmly of the view that it had been a fraudulent claim.
0:21:48 > 0:21:53But if Condrant thought he could just walk away from his tall tale,
0:21:53 > 0:21:54he was sorely mistaken.
0:21:54 > 0:21:58Very often, when civil claims for compensation are withdrawn,
0:21:58 > 0:22:01the claimants will think that that's the end of the matter.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04Importantly, from our perspective, where we've identified fraud,
0:22:04 > 0:22:07we'll work with our clients and advise them in relation to
0:22:07 > 0:22:10whether or not further avenues can be explored.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13Now, Weightmans therefore advised the council about the prospects
0:22:13 > 0:22:17of pursuing a contempt action against Mr Condrant,
0:22:17 > 0:22:21in respect of what we both felt was obviously a fraudulent claim.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24When the case was heard at the high court, Condrant
0:22:24 > 0:22:26still refused to come clean.
0:22:26 > 0:22:30He maintained that his accident was caused by a pothole
0:22:30 > 0:22:32and that he wanted to pursue his claim.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35However, he was not able to offer any plausible explanation
0:22:35 > 0:22:39for either the evidence of the police officer or the contents
0:22:39 > 0:22:42of the police documents, and in particular what the police officer
0:22:42 > 0:22:47had recorded Mr Condrant to say at the time she'd attended the scene.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50Satisfied that Condrant had attempted to defraud the
0:22:50 > 0:22:55council to the tune of £50,000, the High Court judge didn't hold back.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58The judge identified, in the course of contempt proceedings, what
0:22:58 > 0:23:02Mr Condrant had actually done was use the opportunity to try
0:23:02 > 0:23:04and make a bit of money.
0:23:04 > 0:23:08The judge described Mr Condrant's actions as criminal
0:23:08 > 0:23:11and referred to the very negative effect that fraudulent claims have
0:23:11 > 0:23:13not just on local authorities,
0:23:13 > 0:23:17but also the insurance industry and society as a whole.
0:23:17 > 0:23:19The judge told Condrant that...
0:23:28 > 0:23:31And he meant it.
0:23:31 > 0:23:33For trying to cheat his way to a £50,000 pay out,
0:23:33 > 0:23:37Condrant was sentenced to six months behind bars.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40The message that this case sends out to claimants is that the courts
0:23:40 > 0:23:44simply won't tolerate fraudulent claims for compensation.
0:23:44 > 0:23:48As the judge confirmed in this case, people who bring fraudulent claims
0:23:48 > 0:23:51and are caught should expect to go to prison.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04In this day and age, most of us
0:24:04 > 0:24:08can't imagine life without our trusted smartphone, but with around
0:24:08 > 0:24:12300,000 phones reported stolen to the police each year in the UK,
0:24:12 > 0:24:17it's easy to see why so many of us purchase mobile phone insurance.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20However, when it comes to making a claim, insurers hear all
0:24:20 > 0:24:26kinds of excuses, as Simon Cook from CEGA is all too familiar with.
0:24:26 > 0:24:30The customer told us that while she was on holiday in Benidorm
0:24:30 > 0:24:34in Spain, she unfortunately became the victim of a theft.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41The customer claimed for a purse,
0:24:41 > 0:24:45£300 in cash and a hire mobile phone.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48By the sounds of it, this thief had got away with quite the haul.
0:24:48 > 0:24:52The total value of the claim was approximately £800.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55To CEGA, this was starting to look like a textbook case
0:24:55 > 0:24:58of holiday pickpocketing.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01As with the majority of the claims that we deal with, we had no
0:25:01 > 0:25:05reason to believe this claim was anything other than genuine.
0:25:05 > 0:25:09So with no time like the present, CEGA started processing the claim.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11The customer provided us
0:25:11 > 0:25:14with various documents to support the claim.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16In addition, for any mobile phone claim,
0:25:16 > 0:25:18we always ask for the IMEI number,
0:25:18 > 0:25:20which is the unique reference
0:25:20 > 0:25:23number that's designated to the handset being claimed.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26Luckily for CEGA, they have access to a hi-tech database that
0:25:26 > 0:25:29stores information on every mobile phone.
0:25:30 > 0:25:34When we inputted the IMEI number into the database, it did
0:25:34 > 0:25:38show that the phone was blocked. However, we also noted that the
0:25:38 > 0:25:42phone was blocked four weeks prior to the theft occurring.
0:25:42 > 0:25:46So the phone was blocked before she left the UK. It makes you
0:25:46 > 0:25:50wonder why she would have taken her phone with her in the first place.
0:25:50 > 0:25:52Due to the concerns with the claim, we did contact the customer
0:25:52 > 0:25:55to ask her why the phone was showing as blocked four weeks
0:25:55 > 0:25:57prior to the theft occurring.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00The customer didn't really have an explanation for this,
0:26:00 > 0:26:03so we decided that we were going to need to speak with
0:26:03 > 0:26:07the network provider to find out what information they had available.
0:26:07 > 0:26:11As you might expect, the mobile network provider was
0:26:11 > 0:26:13cautious about releasing any personal information without
0:26:13 > 0:26:17the customer present, but CEGA had an innovative solution.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20So we decided on this occasion that we would do a conference call
0:26:20 > 0:26:25between ourselves, the customer and the network provider.
0:26:25 > 0:26:29When we got through to the network provider with the customer
0:26:29 > 0:26:33on the line, before we even got to discuss anything with the network
0:26:33 > 0:26:37provider, the customer strangely decided to terminate the call.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41I suppose the connection could have cut out.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44We tried to contact the customer again to get her
0:26:44 > 0:26:46back on the line, but unfortunately
0:26:46 > 0:26:47we couldn't get through to her.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50With the claimant clearly not in the mood for talking,
0:26:50 > 0:26:53CEGA got back on the blower with someone who was.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56We decided to get back in contact with the network provider,
0:26:56 > 0:26:58who proceeded to provide us
0:26:58 > 0:27:02with various pieces of information to help us with our investigation.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05They also informed CEGA about a phone call they'd had with
0:27:05 > 0:27:07the claimant before she left for her holiday
0:27:07 > 0:27:10that may be of interest to them.
0:27:10 > 0:27:12They told us that the customer reported to them
0:27:12 > 0:27:16that the phone had been stolen in the UK.
0:27:16 > 0:27:20CEGA now knew for certain that the claimant's story was 100% phony.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23We had no option but to decline the claim in full
0:27:23 > 0:27:27and invoke the full condition of the insurance policy, which
0:27:27 > 0:27:30does in fact state that if any part of the claim is found to be
0:27:30 > 0:27:35invalid or fraudulent in any way, we will not pay any part of the claim.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38We didn't hear anything further from the customer and, to be
0:27:38 > 0:27:42perfectly honest, we would have been extremely surprised if we had.
0:27:42 > 0:27:46Simon and his team had averted another potential fraud.
0:27:46 > 0:27:49Insurance fraudsters probably don't realise what systems
0:27:49 > 0:27:53and databases are available to the insurance industry to help
0:27:53 > 0:27:56with our battle against insurance fraud.
0:27:56 > 0:28:00This is a classic example of opportunistic fraud.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03She certainly wasn't a master criminal.