0:00:05 > 0:00:09Insurance fraud has reached epidemic levels in the UK.
0:00:09 > 0:00:14It's costing us more than £1.3 billion every year.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17That's almost £3.6 million every day.
0:00:19 > 0:00:24Deliberate crashes, bogus personal injuries, even phantom pets.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29The fraudsters are risking more and more to make a quick killing,
0:00:29 > 0:00:33and every year it's adding around £50 to your insurance bill.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35But insurers are fighting back,
0:00:35 > 0:00:39exposing just under 15 fake claims every hour.
0:00:39 > 0:00:41Armed with covert surveillance systems...
0:00:41 > 0:00:44The subject out of the vehicle.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46..sophisticated data analysis techniques...
0:00:49 > 0:00:51..and a number of highly skilled police units...
0:00:51 > 0:00:53Police! Don't move, stay where you are!
0:00:53 > 0:00:55..they're catching the criminals red-handed.
0:00:55 > 0:00:56Just don't lie to us.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01All those conmen, scammers and cheats on the fiddle
0:01:01 > 0:01:04are now caught in the act and claimed and shamed.
0:01:10 > 0:01:16Today, the Met Police Traffic Unit hunt for a crash-for-cash suspect...
0:01:16 > 0:01:18One particular person that I'm looking for.
0:01:18 > 0:01:20If he's identified, then I will go and arrest him.
0:01:20 > 0:01:22I've a warrant...
0:01:22 > 0:01:24..a claimant's story falls apart...
0:01:33 > 0:01:37..and a trip-and-slip claim is grounded by CCTV.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40When we first saw the footage, you can't help but chuckle
0:01:40 > 0:01:43at its ridiculous attempts to invent a claim.
0:01:43 > 0:01:47It's more a case of deliberately trying to invent a claim
0:01:47 > 0:01:49so that she can claim compensation.
0:01:54 > 0:01:55Now, as we all know,
0:01:55 > 0:01:59when we get behind the wheel, driving does have its dangers.
0:01:59 > 0:02:03But one of the greatest risks on our roads are crash-for-cash gangs.
0:02:03 > 0:02:07They're ruthless, they're convincing and they don't care who gets hurt.
0:02:07 > 0:02:08Here's how it works.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13First, the gang choose a victim, then they move their two cars
0:02:13 > 0:02:16into position in front of the target.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19Gang car number one then slams on its brakes.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22Gang car two reacts by breaking hard,
0:02:22 > 0:02:25resulting in a rear-end shunt from the victim.
0:02:25 > 0:02:29Gang car one then turns off at the nearest possible exit,
0:02:29 > 0:02:31pretending to be unaware of the crash,
0:02:31 > 0:02:34leaving the victim supposedly at fault for the damage
0:02:34 > 0:02:36to gang car two.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39The gang then exaggerates the amount of damage and injury
0:02:39 > 0:02:42in order to get more compensation.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46It's so well practised that you might not even realise
0:02:46 > 0:02:50you've been a victim, but the police are fighting back.
0:02:50 > 0:02:52The Met's Roads & Transport Policing Unit
0:02:52 > 0:02:56has built its reputation on smashing organised criminal gangs
0:02:56 > 0:02:58operating crash-for-cash rings.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01In this next case, they were approached by a large retailer.
0:03:01 > 0:03:03The company was concerned about a series of incidents
0:03:03 > 0:03:05involving their delivery vans.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12DI Dave Hindmarsh heads up the proactive team
0:03:12 > 0:03:14for the Traffic Command.
0:03:14 > 0:03:15This fraud first came to light
0:03:15 > 0:03:18by one of the well-known supermarkets...
0:03:18 > 0:03:19came to ourselves, the Met Police.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21They believed they had a problem
0:03:21 > 0:03:24with one of their distribution centres and the fact
0:03:24 > 0:03:27that it had a disproportionate amount of collisions,
0:03:27 > 0:03:29which they now believed to be suspicious.
0:03:31 > 0:03:36But it soon became clear this was no ordinary crash-for-cash operation.
0:03:36 > 0:03:38Something strange was afoot.
0:03:38 > 0:03:42The suspicious collisions and claims were varied.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46There was the usual induced collision that we see quite a lot,
0:03:46 > 0:03:48with a vehicle running into the back of another.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51But there were also some other collisions
0:03:51 > 0:03:54which were vehicles reversing round corners into parked cars,
0:03:54 > 0:03:56which we hadn't seen before.
0:03:56 > 0:04:00So it was quite unusual to have two different sets of circumstances.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04Either way, a considerable amount of money was at stake.
0:04:04 > 0:04:05In terms of the claims that were coming in,
0:04:05 > 0:04:08they were for personal injury, whiplash,
0:04:08 > 0:04:09pre-accident value for the vehicle,
0:04:09 > 0:04:11credit hire for a replacement vehicle
0:04:11 > 0:04:14whilst the other one was being repaired or had been written off.
0:04:14 > 0:04:18They were averaging around about £20,000-£30,000 per claim.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21But as yet, they didn't know how many bogus collisions
0:04:21 > 0:04:25they were dealing with or how to connect the main suspects.
0:04:25 > 0:04:27We were investigating this for some time
0:04:27 > 0:04:30and we were a bit confused because some of the links
0:04:30 > 0:04:33weren't there where we would expect them to be,
0:04:33 > 0:04:36and then there was a slight eureka moment by the officer involved
0:04:36 > 0:04:40in the case when we actually identified there were two gangs
0:04:40 > 0:04:43who had actually targeted the supermarket chain
0:04:43 > 0:04:45independent of each other,
0:04:45 > 0:04:49which was why we couldn't find links with every single person involved.
0:04:49 > 0:04:54We'd never come across two different gangs who weren't working
0:04:54 > 0:04:57with each other, didn't know about each other
0:04:57 > 0:04:59targeting the same victim.
0:04:59 > 0:05:01It was quite unusual from our point of view.
0:05:01 > 0:05:05This unprecedented coincidence explained the two different types
0:05:05 > 0:05:06of circumstances.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09The team then looked into the individuals associated
0:05:09 > 0:05:11with each group.
0:05:11 > 0:05:13One of the organised gangs,
0:05:13 > 0:05:17we identified the ringleader as Bashir Zairi.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19Zairi was an interesting character.
0:05:19 > 0:05:25In fact, he had used various derivatives of his name
0:05:25 > 0:05:29to become involved in what appeared to be about 100 collisions
0:05:29 > 0:05:36and, all told, he'd made about £279,000 out of those collisions.
0:05:36 > 0:05:39A breathtaking amount of money.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42The next step for DI Hindmarsh's team was to raid addresses
0:05:42 > 0:05:44they suspected were connected to Zairi
0:05:44 > 0:05:46and the raft of sham claims.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49We couldn't initially pin what address he resided at,
0:05:49 > 0:05:53so we decided we would execute some search warrants at two addresses
0:05:53 > 0:05:57in north London. Those addresses had been used significantly
0:05:57 > 0:06:01in a number of the collision claims, so it was a good place to start.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03The magistrates gave us two search warrants
0:06:03 > 0:06:06and we executed those both on the same day.
0:06:07 > 0:06:12So, early on the morning of 27th March, 2013, a squad of officers
0:06:12 > 0:06:14from the Met Police's Traffic Enforcement Department
0:06:14 > 0:06:16executed the two warrants.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22Dave's colleague, DC Anthony Recchia gives a briefing before the raid.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24We're going to divide into two teams,
0:06:24 > 0:06:26hit the two addresses, which are opposite each other.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29There's one particular person that I'm looking for.
0:06:29 > 0:06:31Bashir Zairi.
0:06:31 > 0:06:35If he's identified and he's there, then I will go and arrest him.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38Briefing over, the officers travel to the raid locations.
0:06:40 > 0:06:42Any operation comes with risks.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44They have no idea what they're going to find
0:06:44 > 0:06:47or who might be lying in wait.
0:06:47 > 0:06:48Still to come...
0:06:48 > 0:06:51I've got a warrant to search your address.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54..the Traffic Unit officers make a crucial discovery...
0:06:54 > 0:06:56In a nutshell, these two addresses
0:06:56 > 0:07:00are involved in about 100 fraudulent road traffic claims.
0:07:00 > 0:07:04..and a personal injury claimant's story doesn't stand up.
0:07:04 > 0:07:05We see a huge range of cases,
0:07:05 > 0:07:08and CCTV can sometimes be a little bit 50/50,
0:07:08 > 0:07:12but this was absolutely 100% compelling and damning.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21Photography is a pastime that's now easier than ever
0:07:21 > 0:07:24with smartphones and apps.
0:07:24 > 0:07:25But take a look at this.
0:07:27 > 0:07:31Did you know that muggins here contains a wealth of information,
0:07:31 > 0:07:32or metadata?
0:07:32 > 0:07:35For example, the date and time you took it
0:07:35 > 0:07:37to the location, down to the street name.
0:07:37 > 0:07:41It instantly puts fraud investigators in the picture
0:07:41 > 0:07:44and can be used to shoot down false claims.
0:07:47 > 0:07:51Simon Cook is the Head of Special Investigations at Cega,
0:07:51 > 0:07:54a company that deals with all sorts of travel insurance claims,
0:07:54 > 0:07:57from medical emergencies to mislaid gadgets.
0:07:57 > 0:08:02A customer contacted us to make a claim for a lost watch,
0:08:02 > 0:08:06which he unfortunately lost while swimming on holiday in France.
0:08:06 > 0:08:10The woman then went into detail about the circumstances of the loss.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39The customer told us that the incident happened on a Sunday.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42She also said that this was a triathlon watch,
0:08:42 > 0:08:46but she specifically made reference to not competing in a triathlon
0:08:46 > 0:08:49at the time of losing the watch.
0:09:20 > 0:09:22We thought that was extremely strange
0:09:22 > 0:09:24cos we hadn't even asked a question about that.
0:09:24 > 0:09:26Hey, there might have been a reason
0:09:26 > 0:09:29why she wanted to set the record straight.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31This is significant because the customer's policy
0:09:31 > 0:09:36doesn't provide cover if she was taking part in a race.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39To a fraud expert like Simon, it suggested that there was more
0:09:39 > 0:09:41going on than met the eye.
0:09:41 > 0:09:43As part of the standard claims procedure,
0:09:43 > 0:09:45we ask the customer to provide us
0:09:45 > 0:09:48with some form of proof-of-ownership documentation.
0:09:48 > 0:09:52We thought she probably should have had something to support the watch,
0:09:52 > 0:09:56as the actual item would be still within a 12-month warranty period.
0:09:56 > 0:10:00Not an unreasonable assumption for a top-of-the-range watch.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03The customer had a think about it and stated initially
0:10:03 > 0:10:05that she didn't have anything at all
0:10:05 > 0:10:07to support the ownership of the watch.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10However, it wasn't long before they heard from her again.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13In the meantime, things seem to have changed.
0:10:13 > 0:10:15After a short period of time,
0:10:15 > 0:10:18the customer sent us a completed claim form
0:10:18 > 0:10:21and she also sent us a photograph which actually showed the box,
0:10:21 > 0:10:25the guarantee and all other documents that related to the watch.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28This was the last thing Simon and the team were expecting.
0:10:28 > 0:10:30We thought that was particularly strange
0:10:30 > 0:10:34because the customer had made a specific point during the first call
0:10:34 > 0:10:36saying that she'd thrown away the box
0:10:36 > 0:10:40and all the other documents relating to its purchase.
0:10:40 > 0:10:42Although it seemed suspicious,
0:10:42 > 0:10:45it WAS possible that it could have been an old photo taken
0:10:45 > 0:10:47before the items were thrown away.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50There was only one way to find out.
0:10:50 > 0:10:54As part of our review, we check the properties, or metadata,
0:10:54 > 0:10:58of the photograph and noted that the photograph had in fact been taken
0:10:58 > 0:11:00after the incident date
0:11:00 > 0:11:02and it had been taken at a different address
0:11:02 > 0:11:04to the customer's home address.
0:11:04 > 0:11:08Now, either the customer had access to a time machine
0:11:08 > 0:11:10or her story was seriously off track.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14This is when the claim was referred to our Special Investigations Unit.
0:11:15 > 0:11:19They wasted no time looking into what the customer was doing
0:11:19 > 0:11:21on what day during her French break.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24We decided to conduct some internet research,
0:11:24 > 0:11:28which quickly found the customer's name as listed as competing
0:11:28 > 0:11:32in a race in France at the time she claimed she'd lost the watch,
0:11:32 > 0:11:35and therefore the watch must have been lost at the time
0:11:35 > 0:11:36she was in the triathlon.
0:11:36 > 0:11:40This completely contradicted what the customer had told Cega.
0:11:40 > 0:11:44The fact the customer specifically told us she wasn't taking part
0:11:44 > 0:11:47in a triathlon tends to support that she knew
0:11:47 > 0:11:49she wouldn't be covered for this incident.
0:11:49 > 0:11:53No cover meant she wouldn't have been entitled to a pay-out.
0:11:53 > 0:11:55It looked as though the claim had run its course,
0:11:55 > 0:11:56but Cega needed to be sure.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01Based on the level of evidence we had obtained,
0:12:01 > 0:12:04we decided we were going to need to speak with the customer
0:12:04 > 0:12:05by way of telephone interview.
0:12:05 > 0:12:09They started by asking the claimant what should have been
0:12:09 > 0:12:11an easy question - the date of the loss.
0:12:11 > 0:12:15At this point, the customer had in fact given a different date
0:12:15 > 0:12:18to the date that she originally provided to us
0:12:18 > 0:12:20during the initial call.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01We challenged the customer on this particular point,
0:13:01 > 0:13:03regarding the date,
0:13:03 > 0:13:05and the call went particularly quiet.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09It was a straightforward question
0:13:09 > 0:13:12and yet the claimant struggled to give a straight answer.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15For fraud experts like Simon and his team,
0:13:15 > 0:13:16umming, ahing and pausing
0:13:16 > 0:13:20are classic signs of someone who's trying to buy time.
0:13:20 > 0:13:21If a story is genuine,
0:13:21 > 0:13:24then there's no reason for a claimant to be hesitant.
0:13:24 > 0:13:26Things had started badly
0:13:26 > 0:13:27and unfortunately for our claimant here,
0:13:27 > 0:13:31they only got worse when she was asked about the photograph.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16After further deliberation,
0:14:16 > 0:14:18she stated her husband's friend
0:14:18 > 0:14:21had probably taken the photograph of his own watch
0:14:21 > 0:14:24to give to her in order to support her claim.
0:14:58 > 0:15:02It was now clear that the watch claim's days were numbered.
0:15:02 > 0:15:07The customer clearly misrepresented the facts about her participating
0:15:07 > 0:15:08in the triathlon.
0:15:08 > 0:15:09In addition to this,
0:15:09 > 0:15:13she had provided us with false information regarding the photograph
0:15:13 > 0:15:14she had sent us.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17And she had nothing to say for herself when she was confronted
0:15:17 > 0:15:18with her dishonesty.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46She'd admitted that she had been less than honest
0:15:46 > 0:15:49and this cast doubt on her entire story.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52This could have had very serious consequences.
0:15:52 > 0:15:56Cega had no choice but to call time on the watch claim.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59We declined the claim and invoked the relevant fraud condition
0:15:59 > 0:16:02on the policy and we didn't ever hear from the customer again.
0:16:02 > 0:16:03To be perfectly honest,
0:16:03 > 0:16:06I would have been amazed if we had heard from her.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14Earlier, the Met's Roads & Policing Unit were investigating
0:16:14 > 0:16:18a suspected crash-for-cash fraudster called Bashir Zairi.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21They are now ready to move in and put a stop to his scam.
0:16:23 > 0:16:27Two addresses. One of the premises is a semidetached house.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30It's just a car park on the left here.
0:16:30 > 0:16:32And the other premises is one of these flats in here.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34It's 7am when they arrive,
0:16:34 > 0:16:37and both of the addresses are hit simultaneously.
0:16:40 > 0:16:41Good morning.
0:16:41 > 0:16:43Police.
0:16:43 > 0:16:44Morning, police. Let us in?
0:16:44 > 0:16:46We've got a warrant to search your address.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48Go upstairs. Go.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51At both locations, the inhabitants cooperate
0:16:51 > 0:16:52and allow the officers entry.
0:16:52 > 0:16:56We'll just have a quick look, and if I'm happy that it's safe,
0:16:56 > 0:16:58we will let you get up and get dressed on your own, is that OK?
0:16:58 > 0:17:01Unfortunately, there's no sign of the main suspect.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04The person we're looking for is not present.
0:17:04 > 0:17:05But other people are.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08There is correspondence which relates to that person
0:17:08 > 0:17:10that we're looking for the premises,
0:17:10 > 0:17:12so we are just going to start our search now.
0:17:12 > 0:17:14With Zairi not present,
0:17:14 > 0:17:15the success of the raid rests
0:17:15 > 0:17:18on whether the team can find documentary evidence
0:17:18 > 0:17:20to strengthen the case against him.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23Hello? All right.
0:17:23 > 0:17:25Police officer. Anyone else in this room with you?
0:17:25 > 0:17:29We are looking for any documentation relating to the claims.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32That could be physical documentation, bits of paper,
0:17:32 > 0:17:36it may well be e-mails or documents that have been stored digitally,
0:17:36 > 0:17:39so that could well be on laptops or computers.
0:17:39 > 0:17:41So far, the search has turned up
0:17:41 > 0:17:44lots of potential pieces of evidence.
0:17:44 > 0:17:4720 minutes into the raid, DI Hindmarsh
0:17:47 > 0:17:49has made an important discovery.
0:17:49 > 0:17:51We've identified another address,
0:17:51 > 0:17:53which officers are just on their way to now,
0:17:53 > 0:17:55to find hopefully our subject.
0:17:55 > 0:17:56If all goes well,
0:17:56 > 0:17:58they will soon have their main suspect
0:17:58 > 0:18:01and several sacks of evidence.
0:18:01 > 0:18:05We've seized all the media equipment, laptops, computers
0:18:05 > 0:18:08and mobile telephones, because that will obviously assist us.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11In a nutshell, these two addresses are involved
0:18:11 > 0:18:15in about 100 fraudulent road traffic claims.
0:18:15 > 0:18:17With the search over, the officers return to base.
0:18:19 > 0:18:20The evidence collected on the raid
0:18:20 > 0:18:22meant that they could prove the connection
0:18:22 > 0:18:24between the properties and Zairi,
0:18:24 > 0:18:27even when he was using a slightly different identity.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30Because they were derivatives of his name,
0:18:30 > 0:18:32it could have been open to him to say that that was not him.
0:18:34 > 0:18:35But the paper documents,
0:18:35 > 0:18:40they proved the link with Mr Zairi to those addresses.
0:18:40 > 0:18:44It was exactly what the team had set out to find.
0:18:44 > 0:18:48In terms of the two raids, they were very successful.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51The fact that we managed to recover some significant evidence.
0:18:51 > 0:18:55And there was also a result for the officers trailing Zairi.
0:18:55 > 0:18:57We were able to find another address in North London
0:18:57 > 0:19:01that a couple of our uniformed colleagues who were present with us,
0:19:01 > 0:19:04went off that address and were able to arrest and detain Bashir
0:19:04 > 0:19:08that morning. So it was a good bit of work.
0:19:08 > 0:19:10But this was just the start.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13It takes years, unfortunately,
0:19:13 > 0:19:17from the inception of a case to the conclusion at the court.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19In the months and years that followed the raid,
0:19:19 > 0:19:22Dave and his team worked steadily to build a case against Zairi.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26It transpired that he had attempted
0:19:26 > 0:19:28to gain a considerable amount of money.
0:19:28 > 0:19:33He had claimed about £313,000
0:19:33 > 0:19:38but actually only got around £279,000 himself.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41Zairi eventually appeared at court
0:19:41 > 0:19:45and all the hard work that had been put into the investigation paid off.
0:19:45 > 0:19:49He pleaded guilty. He realised that the evidence against him
0:19:49 > 0:19:50was overwhelming.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53Taking into account how much money he'd tried to claim,
0:19:53 > 0:19:55the judge came down hard.
0:19:57 > 0:20:01Mr Zairi was sentenced to three years' imprisonment.
0:20:02 > 0:20:04A significant custodial period
0:20:04 > 0:20:06and something that is becoming more common.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08The courts have become more alive
0:20:08 > 0:20:13to induced commissions and the sentencing has started to go up.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16This is down to the realisation that crash for cash
0:20:16 > 0:20:20- isn't just about the money. - There is also the human cost.
0:20:20 > 0:20:22People are going out there, causing crashes.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25They do not know what the outcome is going to be.
0:20:25 > 0:20:29Someone could be seriously injured or, in fact, killed.
0:20:29 > 0:20:31With Zairi behind bars,
0:20:31 > 0:20:33the force is in the process of recovering the money
0:20:33 > 0:20:35that was paid out.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38There could have been serious consequences
0:20:38 > 0:20:41if the supermarket hadn't realised something was wrong.
0:20:41 > 0:20:46Had they not noticed the issue and come to the Met Police,
0:20:46 > 0:20:47then that would have continued,
0:20:47 > 0:20:50and who knows where it would have led to?
0:20:50 > 0:20:54What could have happened with regards to injuries
0:20:54 > 0:20:57and people being killed and seriously injured on the roads.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59And, of course, you can't forget the financial aspect,
0:20:59 > 0:21:04but certainly, we can say that people would have been at risk
0:21:04 > 0:21:05of being injured.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19Now, like most people, I'm guilty of having a good old moan
0:21:19 > 0:21:22about health and safety. But at the end of the day,
0:21:22 > 0:21:23it's there to protect us.
0:21:23 > 0:21:25And if we're injured because our employers
0:21:25 > 0:21:29haven't provided a safe working environment, then it's right
0:21:29 > 0:21:31that we're entitled to compensation.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34But it's wrong when this is exploited by fraudsters.
0:21:40 > 0:21:44Scott Clayton is Zurich's claims fraud and investigations manager
0:21:44 > 0:21:48and he recently dealt with a workplace injury case.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51The claim that we received from Ms Quansah-Okoe
0:21:51 > 0:21:52was in respect of personal injury.
0:21:52 > 0:21:56She claimed that she fell within the canteen of Lambeth College
0:21:56 > 0:21:58on what she says was a wet floor.
0:21:58 > 0:22:02According to her, this was no mere stumble.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05The injury was quite serious that she was telling us she suffered.
0:22:05 > 0:22:10It was soft tissue injuries, damage to her wrist, leg, ankle and,
0:22:10 > 0:22:13believe it or not, she actually said that she'd chipped a tooth.
0:22:13 > 0:22:15The claimant alleged she had required
0:22:15 > 0:22:17a considerable amount of treatment.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20Ms Quansah-Okoe suggested that she had been to hospital
0:22:20 > 0:22:21straight after the accident.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24She was off work for two or three weeks,
0:22:24 > 0:22:27and she had six bouts of physiotherapy treatment.
0:22:27 > 0:22:30All this added up to a tidy sum.
0:22:30 > 0:22:34We estimated the claim to be worth in the region of £8,000.
0:22:34 > 0:22:36So quite a considerable sum of money.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39But then again, she was saying that she was considerably injured.
0:22:39 > 0:22:40With so much money on the line,
0:22:40 > 0:22:43the claimant was asked to provide more detail
0:22:43 > 0:22:46about how the accident had actually happened.
0:22:46 > 0:22:48She mentioned that the floor was wet,
0:22:48 > 0:22:50and she only noticed that the floor was wet
0:22:50 > 0:22:53when she actually felt the wetness on her dress.
0:22:53 > 0:22:57So she was saying that the college canteen floor was wet
0:22:57 > 0:23:00and that caused her to slip and be injured.
0:23:00 > 0:23:02According to her version of events,
0:23:02 > 0:23:05the college had been negligent and was therefore liable.
0:23:05 > 0:23:07On the surface, this looked like a claim that, certainly,
0:23:07 > 0:23:11we would consider paying, because of the nature of the injuries,
0:23:11 > 0:23:12and what caused them.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15What made this case different was that Lambeth College,
0:23:15 > 0:23:20when they submitted the claim, also enclosed some CCTV footage.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22The footage changed everything.
0:23:23 > 0:23:26Once the insurance company had looked at the CCTV
0:23:26 > 0:23:29and looked at what Ms Quansah-Okoe was claiming,
0:23:29 > 0:23:31they had obvious concerns,
0:23:31 > 0:23:34and so they passed the claim on to IFED for investigation.
0:23:34 > 0:23:36IFED is the City of London Police's
0:23:36 > 0:23:39insurance fraud enforcement department,
0:23:39 > 0:23:41headed up by DCI Oli Little.
0:23:41 > 0:23:43He reviewed the footage.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46I think, given the injuries that she's claiming for,
0:23:46 > 0:23:48what we'd expect to see is somebody lose their footing
0:23:48 > 0:23:50really suddenly and fall down.
0:23:50 > 0:23:52One of those ones where you look at it and you go, "Ooh!
0:23:52 > 0:23:55"That must have hurt." But there's nothing like that here.
0:23:55 > 0:23:59And judging by the injuries, she's given herself quite a battering.
0:23:59 > 0:24:01So the fact that she'd said she chipped a tooth,
0:24:01 > 0:24:04she must have slammed her face on the floor.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07That sort of footage isn't normally that pleasant to watch.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10What we did see was something entirely different.
0:24:10 > 0:24:14So different that it completely turned the case on its head.
0:24:14 > 0:24:18She walks into the canteen fairly briskly.
0:24:18 > 0:24:22But then she notices that the chap's mopping the floor.
0:24:22 > 0:24:24So what she's probably done, in my opinion,
0:24:24 > 0:24:28is that during that period of time when she slows down,
0:24:28 > 0:24:29she's thought herself,
0:24:29 > 0:24:32"Here's an opportunity for me to invent an incident
0:24:32 > 0:24:34"and claim compensation."
0:24:35 > 0:24:38And that's where the idea's come into her head.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41And, as you can see, she approaches that post.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45The bags come down really carefully, down to the knees,
0:24:45 > 0:24:48and then there's that sort of final flourish at the end.
0:24:48 > 0:24:51That's nothing like what you would expect to see
0:24:51 > 0:24:54if somebody's got injuries head to toe, broken teeth,
0:24:54 > 0:24:56it's just complete invention.
0:24:56 > 0:25:01The footage completely undermined the case and her credibility.
0:25:01 > 0:25:02When we first saw the footage,
0:25:02 > 0:25:07you can't help but chuckle at its ridiculous attempt
0:25:07 > 0:25:08to invent a claim.
0:25:08 > 0:25:12There's no suggestion whatsoever that she had slipped on the floor.
0:25:12 > 0:25:17It's more a case of deliberately trying to invent a claim
0:25:17 > 0:25:19so that she can claim compensation.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22But there was a serious side to the situation, too.
0:25:22 > 0:25:24The CCTV was absolutely crucial
0:25:24 > 0:25:26because it told us exactly what happened
0:25:26 > 0:25:29and, in effect, demonstrated that it was a fraudulent claim.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31As far as Zurich was concerned,
0:25:31 > 0:25:35her chance of a pay-out was now absolutely zero.
0:25:35 > 0:25:39So, we shared the footage with her solicitors
0:25:39 > 0:25:42and the claim was discontinued.
0:25:42 > 0:25:44But the consequences didn't end there.
0:25:44 > 0:25:48If Ms Quansah-Okoe thought she could just walk away from the claim,
0:25:48 > 0:25:50she was wrong.
0:25:50 > 0:25:52Such was the ridiculous nature of this claim
0:25:52 > 0:25:54and the evidence that we had,
0:25:54 > 0:25:57we felt this was definitely a good case to refer to IFED.
0:25:57 > 0:26:02IFED agreed, and decided to pay the claimant a little visit.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05When we arrested Ms Quansah-Okoe, I think she was quite shocked.
0:26:05 > 0:26:07Maybe she thought, like a lot of people do,
0:26:07 > 0:26:10"What's the worst that can happen if I put this claim in?
0:26:10 > 0:26:13"They'll just say no." She didn't expect to get arrested.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16She didn't expect to get interviewed by the police.
0:26:16 > 0:26:18But that's exactly what happened.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21Ms Quansah-Okoe was eventually charged
0:26:21 > 0:26:24with fraud by false representation.
0:26:24 > 0:26:28You would have thought that she may have decided that the game was up,
0:26:28 > 0:26:31but, no, undeterred, she proceeded right through a criminal trial.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33Which was surprising!
0:26:33 > 0:26:36The case was heard at the Old Bailey.
0:26:36 > 0:26:40She pled not guilty, despite the overwhelming evidence against her.
0:26:40 > 0:26:45With her star turn caught on CCTV, the outcome was never in doubt.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48And a jury found her guilty and she was sentenced
0:26:48 > 0:26:50to 80 hours' community service
0:26:50 > 0:26:54and ordered to pay £500 towards the cost of running the case.
0:26:54 > 0:26:56Perhaps she'll spend that doing some mopping.
0:26:56 > 0:26:58Or perhaps working on her acting skills.
0:27:00 > 0:27:02We see a huge range of cases,
0:27:02 > 0:27:05and CCTV can sometimes be a little bit 50/50,
0:27:05 > 0:27:09but this was absolutely 100% compelling and damning.
0:27:09 > 0:27:11Insurers like Zurich are determined
0:27:11 > 0:27:14to put a stop to the compensation culture.
0:27:14 > 0:27:16For us, it was the conviction that mattered,
0:27:16 > 0:27:20because it sends a message that people who try and invent these type
0:27:20 > 0:27:24of incidents to claim compensation should be warned that,
0:27:24 > 0:27:27if you're caught, then you end up feeling the full force of the law.
0:27:32 > 0:27:36Nobody likes paying more than we have to for everyday services,
0:27:36 > 0:27:40but this is exactly what's happening with insurance fraud.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42Scammers and conmen are swindling their way
0:27:42 > 0:27:44to pay-outs that they don't deserve.
0:27:44 > 0:27:46The knock-on effect is that the extra costs
0:27:46 > 0:27:48result in ever increasing premiums.
0:27:48 > 0:27:50We're getting hit in the pocket,
0:27:50 > 0:27:53and it's not just organised criminal gangs to blame.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56Exaggerated household claims also take their toll.
0:27:56 > 0:27:58But instead of getting away with it,
0:27:58 > 0:28:02more and more of these fraudsters are being claimed and shamed.