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 > 0:00:30The fraudsters are risking more and more to make a quick killing
0:00:30 > 0:00:34and, every year, it is adding around £50 to your insurance bill.
0:00:34 > 0:00:36But insurers are fighting back,
0:00:36 > 0:00:39exposing just under 15 fake claims every hour.
0:00:39 > 0:00:41Armed with covert surveillance systems...
0:00:41 > 0:00:44Subject 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 > 0:00:53Stay 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.
0:01:11 > 0:01:15A flashy fraudster shows off his ill-gotten gains...
0:01:15 > 0:01:18Exotic foreign holidays, exotic cars,
0:01:18 > 0:01:23we've identified £80,000 plus that couldn't be accounted for.
0:01:23 > 0:01:27It's a family affair, as one scammer steals from her own grandmother.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29This was so premeditated.
0:01:29 > 0:01:33I should imagine she's extremely unpopular in her family.
0:01:33 > 0:01:37And one claimant develops a very convenient case of amnesia.
0:01:46 > 0:01:50If you're a 17-year-old trying to get insurance on your first car,
0:01:50 > 0:01:53the premiums can be eye-wateringly expensive -
0:01:53 > 0:01:55well over £2,000 a year.
0:01:55 > 0:01:58And it goes up from there if you happen to be male,
0:01:58 > 0:02:01so if a broker offered you a much lower price,
0:02:01 > 0:02:04you can see why the temptation would be there to go for it,
0:02:04 > 0:02:07even if you thought it all sounded a bit too good to be true.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13It's these sorts of high-risk individuals that so-called
0:02:13 > 0:02:15ghost brokers target, as Clare Lunn
0:02:15 > 0:02:17from insurance providers LV explains.
0:02:19 > 0:02:23A ghost broker is an individual or group of individuals who set up
0:02:23 > 0:02:25policies for the general public,
0:02:25 > 0:02:30deliberately misrepresenting the risk to obtain cheaper premiums.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33So, a ghost broker might sell a policy to a 17-year-old,
0:02:33 > 0:02:36but get a cheap price, by telling the insurer
0:02:36 > 0:02:38it's for an older, lower-risk driver.
0:02:38 > 0:02:42The ghost broker then pockets the difference between what the policy
0:02:42 > 0:02:44costs and what he charged the 17-year-old.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47What's more, the insurance policy would be worthless,
0:02:47 > 0:02:50leaving the 17-year-old uncovered.
0:02:50 > 0:02:52In the worst-case scenario,
0:02:52 > 0:02:56someone who's been a victim of a ghost broker can be driving around
0:02:56 > 0:02:59in a vehicle, thinking that they're actually insured,
0:02:59 > 0:03:03when the policy has been cancelled and they're driving uninsured.
0:03:05 > 0:03:07Back at the start of 2013,
0:03:07 > 0:03:11LV started to get suspicious that they were being targeted by a ghost
0:03:11 > 0:03:15broker. They noticed some startling similarities in the details
0:03:15 > 0:03:17of some of their motor insurance policies.
0:03:19 > 0:03:23There were some key factors that linked these policies together.
0:03:23 > 0:03:29These were the use of bank accounts and foreign cards which had been
0:03:29 > 0:03:33compromised and also e-mail addresses
0:03:33 > 0:03:37and a common occupation of accountancy.
0:03:38 > 0:03:42During the investigations into the e-mail addresses and bank accounts
0:03:42 > 0:03:45that had been used on several different policies,
0:03:45 > 0:03:47one name kept cropping up - a Mr Abdulatif.
0:03:49 > 0:03:53At first, LV were only suspicious about a few motor policies,
0:03:53 > 0:03:56but once they knew what and who to look for,
0:03:56 > 0:03:59the scale of the fraud escalated.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02Originally, this started off as three policies,
0:04:02 > 0:04:06but it very quickly grew and it was, in fact, the fastest-growing
0:04:06 > 0:04:11fraud ring in LV's history, until it reached nearly 700 policies.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14With suspected fraud on a level this vast,
0:04:14 > 0:04:17LV got in touch with IFED.
0:04:19 > 0:04:21IFED is the City of London Police's
0:04:21 > 0:04:24Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department -
0:04:24 > 0:04:26a dedicated team of detectives
0:04:26 > 0:04:29committed to stopping insurance fraud cheats.
0:04:30 > 0:04:32There is ever-more sophisticated
0:04:32 > 0:04:34detection tools being used by the industry.
0:04:34 > 0:04:36We're getting more and more cases every day.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42This elite squad has prevented millions of pounds from being paid
0:04:42 > 0:04:44out to criminals in fraudulent claims.
0:04:44 > 0:04:48From now on, insurance cheats need to look over their shoulders.
0:04:49 > 0:04:53It's all fraud, it's all crime and it can all lead to prison.
0:04:53 > 0:04:55Police, don't move, stay where you are!
0:04:57 > 0:05:00Police Sergeant Steven Holland works for IFED.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03Once the team took up the case of the suspected ghost broker,
0:05:03 > 0:05:04their first port of call
0:05:04 > 0:05:07was to start investigating the prime suspect...
0:05:09 > 0:05:10..Mr Abdulatif.
0:05:11 > 0:05:13The initial investigation starts
0:05:13 > 0:05:17with some financial investigation work which highlighted that
0:05:17 > 0:05:21Mr Abdulatif is earning money through illegitimate sources,
0:05:21 > 0:05:25we believe. He stated his occupation was a trainee estate agent
0:05:25 > 0:05:29and also a courier. However, we've identified £80,000-plus
0:05:29 > 0:05:33of money going to the account that couldn't be accounted for.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37They also undertook a social networking search
0:05:37 > 0:05:40and were utterly astonished at what they found.
0:05:40 > 0:05:44Mr Abdulatif was enjoying luxuries well beyond the means of a trainee
0:05:44 > 0:05:47estate agent. He'd posted countless
0:05:47 > 0:05:50photos of himself all over his social media pages,
0:05:50 > 0:05:53flaunting his wealth and expensive tastes.
0:05:55 > 0:06:00It shows Mr Abdulatif living a champagne lifestyle.
0:06:00 > 0:06:01Exotic foreign holidays.
0:06:02 > 0:06:03Exotic cars.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08Something that we wouldn't put together with
0:06:08 > 0:06:10a trainee estate agent's salary.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15Everything indicated towards us that Mr Abdulatif was involved in the
0:06:15 > 0:06:18ghost broking and he was our initial and only suspect.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24If this wasn't proof enough,
0:06:24 > 0:06:28the investigation uncovered further undeniable evidence
0:06:28 > 0:06:30that Mr Abdulatif was, indeed, a ghost broker.
0:06:32 > 0:06:38We found over 100 text messages, in relation to offering and asking
0:06:38 > 0:06:41to supply fraudulent insurance.
0:06:41 > 0:06:45We also seized a laptop and, within that, we found several insurance
0:06:45 > 0:06:49companies, certificates of insurance, which he was obviously
0:06:49 > 0:06:52doctoring to provide to the people who were buying the insurance
0:06:52 > 0:06:54policies, but they were all fraudulent.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57And a lot of unsuspecting people
0:06:57 > 0:07:00were buying their car insurance through
0:07:00 > 0:07:02this particularly showy fraudster.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05Mr Abdulatif was making money through either selling
0:07:05 > 0:07:07fraudulent insurance policies
0:07:07 > 0:07:10to members of the public and they would pay him and that money
0:07:10 > 0:07:12would go into his own bank account,
0:07:12 > 0:07:15or alternatively, he was phoning the insurance companies directly
0:07:15 > 0:07:19and paying for these policies with compromised bank cards
0:07:19 > 0:07:22or compromised bank account details.
0:07:22 > 0:07:26The policies paid for by these fake or fraudulently-acquired bank cards
0:07:26 > 0:07:29would quickly be cancelled by the insurance company,
0:07:29 > 0:07:32but of course, Abdulatif wouldn't tell his clients this,
0:07:32 > 0:07:36so many were driving around totally unaware that they had
0:07:36 > 0:07:38no car insurance whatsoever.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43If one of these fraudulent insurance policyholders were in an accident,
0:07:43 > 0:07:45unfortunately, their policy would be worthless.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51Mr Abdulatif took advantage of innocent members of the public
0:07:51 > 0:07:53who paid him for their car insurance,
0:07:53 > 0:07:56but ended up with either no motor policy, at all,
0:07:56 > 0:07:59or a totally-invalid insurance policy.
0:07:59 > 0:08:03But this wasn't as low as this greedy fraudster would go.
0:08:03 > 0:08:07Mr Abdulatif realised that he could make even more money by selling
0:08:07 > 0:08:09insurance to the otherwise uninsurable.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14Mr Abdulatif was selling these policies to either genuine members
0:08:14 > 0:08:17of the public who thought they were buying insurance,
0:08:17 > 0:08:20but we also noticed a proportion of these policies going to known
0:08:20 > 0:08:24criminals and to criminals who had either been disqualified from
0:08:24 > 0:08:29driving, for offences such as drink-driving, or totting up points
0:08:29 > 0:08:31for things like no insurance.
0:08:31 > 0:08:32That's right.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34Thanks to Mr Abdulatif,
0:08:34 > 0:08:37banned drunk drivers were getting back behind the wheel.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41To provide these disqualified drivers with motor policies,
0:08:41 > 0:08:45he would simply forget to tell the insurance company that these people
0:08:45 > 0:08:47had convictions, in the hope they wouldn't check.
0:08:49 > 0:08:50But they did.
0:08:51 > 0:08:55Despite thinking he was untouchable, the police arrested Mr Abdulatif.
0:08:56 > 0:09:00And in October 2015, he was tried at the Old Bailey.
0:09:01 > 0:09:07We had a really strong case with all the evidence that we seized and that
0:09:07 > 0:09:09we went through and it showed
0:09:09 > 0:09:12Mr Abdulatif provided fraudulent insurance policies
0:09:12 > 0:09:15to various members of the public.
0:09:15 > 0:09:20Mr Abdulatif pleaded guilty to 18 charges of fraud.
0:09:20 > 0:09:24He had made over £100,000 from his criminal activities.
0:09:26 > 0:09:30Abdulatif was sentenced to three years behind bars and given
0:09:30 > 0:09:31a confiscation order,
0:09:31 > 0:09:34meaning that almost all of the money will be recovered.
0:09:43 > 0:09:47Coming up, a cat owner attempts to defraud her insurers, to pay for
0:09:47 > 0:09:50the treatment of her precious pet's upset tummy.
0:09:50 > 0:09:55The policy holder knew exactly what they were doing.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02Family heirlooms are priceless.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05Really, there's no insurance cover in the world that can account for
0:10:05 > 0:10:09the sentimental value attached to items that have been handed down
0:10:09 > 0:10:12through the generations. But of course, if something has
0:10:12 > 0:10:15a financial value to it, as well as a sentimental one,
0:10:15 > 0:10:17it makes perfect sense to make sure
0:10:17 > 0:10:20it's included in your household insurance.
0:10:22 > 0:10:27Companies like RSA provide exactly this sort of protection.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30John Beadle heads up their counter-fraud department
0:10:30 > 0:10:33and previously dealt with a customer who had taken out contents insurance
0:10:33 > 0:10:34on her home.
0:10:34 > 0:10:39This particular lady took out a household policy with us
0:10:39 > 0:10:42and one of the specified items on
0:10:42 > 0:10:45her policy for all-risk cover was an
0:10:45 > 0:10:47emerald ring,
0:10:47 > 0:10:51valued at £11,650.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55So, an expensive piece of jewellery,
0:10:55 > 0:10:57which also had a rich family history,
0:10:57 > 0:11:00making it all the more valuable to the claimant.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04The ring actually had come from her grandmother,
0:11:04 > 0:11:07who had, in turn, been given it by her grandfather,
0:11:07 > 0:11:13who had bought it for his wife when he came back from India.
0:11:13 > 0:11:18A lovely little gem of a story, but it wasn't to have a happy ending.
0:11:18 > 0:11:22A very short time after she took the policy out, she made a claim,
0:11:22 > 0:11:25saying that the ring had slipped off her finger
0:11:25 > 0:11:29and got lost while she was gardening.
0:11:29 > 0:11:31Now, I've heard of having green fingers,
0:11:31 > 0:11:34but wearing your grandma's emerald ring, worth over 11 grand,
0:11:34 > 0:11:38whilst doing a spot of weeding seemed unlikely.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41John and his team weren't altogether convinced by the granddaughter's
0:11:41 > 0:11:44story, and asked her for further information.
0:11:44 > 0:11:50She provided to us some photographs of her wearing the ring,
0:11:50 > 0:11:52which, in itself, was quite curious,
0:11:52 > 0:11:57the way the photographs had almost been purposefully done to show
0:11:57 > 0:12:01the ring, and she produced a valuation for the ring,
0:12:01 > 0:12:04which had actually only just been obtained
0:12:04 > 0:12:08a relatively short while beforehand.
0:12:08 > 0:12:12Something just wasn't ringing true about the story of the lost piece
0:12:12 > 0:12:15- of jewellery.- I think there were a number of factors
0:12:15 > 0:12:18that conspired together to make us suspicious of this claim.
0:12:18 > 0:12:24The loss occurring so shortly after the policy had been taken out,
0:12:24 > 0:12:30the photographs, the recent evaluation which had been obtained,
0:12:30 > 0:12:34all added up to make us a little suspicious around the claim,
0:12:34 > 0:12:38so we decided to investigate further.
0:12:39 > 0:12:43And where better to get a few pearls of wisdom about the case than from
0:12:43 > 0:12:47the original owner of the ring, the claimant's grandmother?
0:12:47 > 0:12:51We spoke to the grandmother, who actually confirmed to us
0:12:51 > 0:12:53that the ring belonged to her,
0:12:53 > 0:12:56and hadn't been gifted to her granddaughter.
0:12:56 > 0:13:01And, in fact, the ring was still in the possession of the grandmother.
0:13:01 > 0:13:08She told us that the ring she hid in a secret place in her bedroom.
0:13:08 > 0:13:10The plot thickens.
0:13:10 > 0:13:14The ring wasn't lost, at all, but safe and sound in granny's house.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17However, there was another mystery to solve.
0:13:17 > 0:13:21Strangely enough, she did notice the ring missing recently,
0:13:21 > 0:13:23for a relatively short period,
0:13:23 > 0:13:28but the ring then reappeared back in its hiding place.
0:13:28 > 0:13:32Very few people knew where granny hid her precious emerald ring.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35Conveniently, her granddaughter did.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37To John and his team, it was obvious
0:13:37 > 0:13:40what their gold-digging customer had been up to.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43The claimant had removed the ring
0:13:43 > 0:13:46from her grandmother's hiding place...
0:13:48 > 0:13:51..taken photos of it on her finger...
0:13:52 > 0:13:54..and took a policy out with us
0:13:54 > 0:13:57with the specific aim of making a claim for
0:13:57 > 0:14:02the ring. Then, put the ring back where she had removed it from,
0:14:02 > 0:14:04in her grandmother's bedroom.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08They confronted their scamming customer with the facts they had
0:14:08 > 0:14:10gleaned from her own relative.
0:14:10 > 0:14:15She did try to withdraw the claim and cancel her policy,
0:14:15 > 0:14:17but the circumstances around this
0:14:17 > 0:14:20were so well thought-out that we decided
0:14:20 > 0:14:23it was a case that we needed to refer to IFED
0:14:23 > 0:14:25and that's what we did.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29IFED were keen to take up the case,
0:14:29 > 0:14:31and soon caught up with the claimant.
0:14:31 > 0:14:33She received a caution...
0:14:35 > 0:14:37..and, ultimately, we have now placed her on
0:14:37 > 0:14:39the insurance fraud register,
0:14:39 > 0:14:44which will cause her problems when she tries to get insurance
0:14:44 > 0:14:45in the future.
0:14:45 > 0:14:49But you'd hope that she was also getting a fair amount of comeuppance
0:14:49 > 0:14:50closer to home.
0:14:50 > 0:14:54I should imagine she's extremely unpopular in her family.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57I mean, this was so premeditated,
0:14:57 > 0:14:59and unbeknown to anybody else in her family,
0:14:59 > 0:15:05she had ultimately embroiled them, in her attempt to obtain
0:15:05 > 0:15:08quite a large amount of money.
0:15:08 > 0:15:13This fraudster's golden plan to make a quick £11,650
0:15:13 > 0:15:16was quickly foiled by John and his team.
0:15:21 > 0:15:23As long as insurance policies exist,
0:15:23 > 0:15:28there will always be people out there who try and abuse the system.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31If an insurance company even has an inkling that something isn't quite
0:15:31 > 0:15:35right with a claim, they can refer it up to specialist agents.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41Agents like those employed at I-COG Claims Management,
0:15:41 > 0:15:45whose staff is trained to analyse speech and behaviour patterns,
0:15:45 > 0:15:46in order to expose those claimants
0:15:46 > 0:15:48who may not be telling the whole truth.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54One such claim was recently referred to Claire Mitten,
0:15:54 > 0:15:57I-COG's highly-skilled Operations Director.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05The case involves a man who claimed he'd been the victim of a mugging
0:16:05 > 0:16:08in a park in Glasgow, in which his gold necklace
0:16:08 > 0:16:11had been snatched from around his neck.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14The total of the claim was £750.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16He was claiming for a gold chain
0:16:16 > 0:16:19which had a diamante boxing glove pendant attached to it.
0:16:19 > 0:16:21Before we even got to speak to the insured,
0:16:21 > 0:16:25he had three failed appointments, where he wouldn't answer our calls.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28There were just so many concerns with it that we knew straightaway
0:16:28 > 0:16:31that this was a really interesting claim to deal with.
0:16:31 > 0:16:32It was fourth time lucky,
0:16:32 > 0:16:36as Claire finally got through to the claimant, to get a blow-by-blow
0:16:36 > 0:16:38account of the theft of his boxing-glove necklace.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00Mm-hm.
0:17:03 > 0:17:04Mm-hm.
0:17:08 > 0:17:10Mm-hm.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34So, a dramatic and frightening mugging,
0:17:34 > 0:17:36the sort of attack that can leave its mark on the victim
0:17:36 > 0:17:38both emotionally and physically.
0:18:16 > 0:18:18To Claire, the lack of injuries
0:18:18 > 0:18:20sustained by the claimant seemed unusual
0:18:20 > 0:18:22for an attack this physical,
0:18:22 > 0:18:24and especially given that a fairly thick necklace
0:18:24 > 0:18:26had been pulled off his neck.
0:18:27 > 0:18:31You would have thought that there would be some markings to the neck,
0:18:31 > 0:18:33such as scratchings or bruising to the neck
0:18:33 > 0:18:34where it had been ripped off.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57When somebody has been attacked, more often than not they can
0:18:57 > 0:18:59describe the offenders in great detail,
0:18:59 > 0:19:01because they've been so close to them.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05This insured was not able to give us any description, other than he was
0:19:05 > 0:19:08a well-dressed junkie with yellow skin.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11It seemed odd to Claire that the customer couldn't describe
0:19:11 > 0:19:14his attacker well, but it was what he claimed happened
0:19:14 > 0:19:19immediately after the attack that left his story on the ropes.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22Rather than calling 999 or seeking any sort of help,
0:19:22 > 0:19:24the claimant got into his car
0:19:24 > 0:19:27and drove off to collect his wife from work, as normal.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06The claimant went on to explain that, after he'd picked up his wife,
0:20:06 > 0:20:09they did then go to their local police station,
0:20:09 > 0:20:10to report the incident.
0:20:40 > 0:20:44Even if you lost your chain in the park, rather than had it stolen,
0:20:44 > 0:20:47you would still be given some sort of reference number from the police,
0:20:47 > 0:20:48so this was really alarming.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20The claimant was sticking to his story that he'd not been given
0:21:20 > 0:21:23a crime reference number, but the staff at I-COG have
0:21:23 > 0:21:27an expert knowledge of police systems and this gave Claire
0:21:27 > 0:21:30the upper hand. The gloves were now off, as she challenged
0:21:30 > 0:21:34her opponent further about his alleged written statement.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07When we asked the insured if we were able to contact the police,
0:22:07 > 0:22:09to get a copy of the statement that he made,
0:22:09 > 0:22:14he actually softened his voice. He became very nervous and explained
0:22:14 > 0:22:17that he didn't know what the police would be able to provide us with.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20If you do report an incident like that to the police and you have
0:22:20 > 0:22:22given a statement, then actually those reports and statements
0:22:22 > 0:22:24need to be kept for at least 15 years.
0:22:25 > 0:22:29There was one final inconsistency, in regards to the detail
0:22:29 > 0:22:30of the fight in the park
0:22:30 > 0:22:34that really packed the finishing punch to the validity of the case.
0:22:35 > 0:22:39It was the claimant's wife who had initially rung the insurance company
0:22:39 > 0:22:43to report her husband's mugging. But the version of events she told them
0:22:43 > 0:22:47differed substantially to what the claimant had just told Claire.
0:23:27 > 0:23:31Whether you make a claim that's worth £250 or a claim that is worth
0:23:31 > 0:23:33£1 million, the claim is always going to be investigated
0:23:33 > 0:23:36by the insurance company, and there's no way of thinking that,
0:23:36 > 0:23:40just because it's a low-value claim, it's going to get paid out.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42If it's not right, if the account doesn't add up,
0:23:42 > 0:23:45if the information you've given doesn't add up,
0:23:45 > 0:23:47then it will get investigated further.
0:23:47 > 0:23:49And in this case, the claim didn't add up.
0:24:00 > 0:24:04The inconsistencies and the fact there was no crime reference number
0:24:04 > 0:24:06meant that Claire had no choice
0:24:06 > 0:24:09but to recommend to the insurance company not to pay out a penny
0:24:09 > 0:24:11for the alleged stolen chain.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21Whether you're a dog lover
0:24:21 > 0:24:23or it's cats that make you weak at the knees,
0:24:23 > 0:24:25if you love animals and have a pet,
0:24:25 > 0:24:28they soon become part of the family.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31Many people get a bit of a shock at the amount vets charge
0:24:31 > 0:24:35for their services. Sadly, there is no NHS for animals.
0:24:37 > 0:24:39Thankfully, though, there are companies,
0:24:39 > 0:24:43like Agria Pet Insurance, that will provide cover for vets' bills.
0:24:43 > 0:24:44Back in 2014,
0:24:44 > 0:24:47Simon Wheeler dealt with a case involving owners who had taken out
0:24:47 > 0:24:50a policy for their Ragdoll cat.
0:24:52 > 0:24:56The policyholder insured the pet on the 1st of December.
0:24:56 > 0:25:00About 11 days after the policy started,
0:25:00 > 0:25:04we got a notification from the policyholder that their Ragdoll
0:25:04 > 0:25:06had suffered a bout of diarrhoea.
0:25:06 > 0:25:10And we got a notification claim for probably around the £200 mark
0:25:10 > 0:25:11would be coming in.
0:25:13 > 0:25:17The poor moggy had come down with a bad case of the runs
0:25:17 > 0:25:20and the owner had taken it to the vet for treatment.
0:25:20 > 0:25:24The cat's illness may not have been pleasant, but the timing of it was.
0:25:24 > 0:25:28All pet insurers insist on something called an exclusion,
0:25:28 > 0:25:32or waiting period, before you can make a claim for your pet's illness.
0:25:32 > 0:25:34This is to stop people from taking out cover
0:25:34 > 0:25:37the moment they think their pet is sick.
0:25:38 > 0:25:40Luckily, for the owner of this particular kitty,
0:25:40 > 0:25:43the cat's illness started just one day
0:25:43 > 0:25:45after they were allowed to put in the claim.
0:25:47 > 0:25:49At the time that we received the claim,
0:25:49 > 0:25:50the notification for the claim,
0:25:50 > 0:25:53it was just outside the exclusion period for illness.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55The dates all tied up.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58So, to all intents and purposes, it seemed a valid claim.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03The owner must have felt like the cat that got the cream,
0:26:03 > 0:26:06knowing their vets' bill would be covered.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09But as soon as Simon and his team were sent the paperwork,
0:26:09 > 0:26:10they found a problem.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15When we got the claim form,
0:26:15 > 0:26:18we also received the full veterinary history from the vet
0:26:18 > 0:26:21and, when we looked at the veterinary history,
0:26:21 > 0:26:24we noticed the first signs of diarrhoea
0:26:24 > 0:26:28and the first symptoms had been noted on the 4th of December,
0:26:28 > 0:26:32so a long time before the policyholder had told us,
0:26:32 > 0:26:35and certainly in the middle of the exclusion period
0:26:35 > 0:26:38at the start of a policy for illness.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42Simon and his team carefully examined the rest of the paperwork
0:26:42 > 0:26:46and found something that really set the cat amongst the pigeons.
0:26:46 > 0:26:48Not only did the policyholder
0:26:48 > 0:26:51submit the wrong date in their part of the claim form,
0:26:51 > 0:26:52they'd also filled in a date
0:26:52 > 0:26:54on the veterinary part of the claim form
0:26:54 > 0:26:58and put a Post-it note for the vet to say, if possible,
0:26:58 > 0:27:02can you make the date the 11th of December or later,
0:27:02 > 0:27:05otherwise this is unlikely to be covered.
0:27:05 > 0:27:10This one Post-it note led to the entire claim coming unstuck.
0:27:10 > 0:27:12It was blatant fraud.
0:27:12 > 0:27:16The policyholder knew exactly what they were doing.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19They knew that the condition of the diarrhoea wasn't covered,
0:27:19 > 0:27:20that it occurred
0:27:20 > 0:27:23within the exclusion period at the beginning of the policy.
0:27:23 > 0:27:27They then tried to coerce, or persuade, the vet to support them,
0:27:27 > 0:27:31in terms of getting a dishonest claim paid by the insurance company.
0:27:31 > 0:27:35Unsurprisingly, Agria didn't pay out a penny for the treatment
0:27:35 > 0:27:37of this cat's diarrhoea.
0:27:37 > 0:27:40It's very common for vets to talk to us about claims
0:27:40 > 0:27:44and for us to talk to vets about claims, when we receive them.
0:27:44 > 0:27:47In this instance, I think the policyholder
0:27:47 > 0:27:50misjudged just what information would come in with the claim
0:27:50 > 0:27:52and what would be on that information.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03Insurance fraud hits all of us in the pocket.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06But more and more of these scammers and conmen
0:28:06 > 0:28:08are being claimed and shamed.