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 > 0:00:23Deliberate crashes, bogus personal injuries,
0:00:23 > 0:00:24even phantom pets.
0:00:26 > 0:00:28The fraudsters are risking more and more
0:00:28 > 0:00:29to 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 > 0:00:42Armed with covert surveillance systems...
0:00:42 > 0:00:44Subject out of vehicle.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47..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 criminals red-handed.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57Just don't lie to us!
0:00:57 > 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 > 0:01:11A pedestrian's claim
0:01:11 > 0:01:14that he was clipped by a car wing mirror.
0:01:14 > 0:01:16is caught on camera.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19What we decided to do was take a look at the CCTV footage
0:01:19 > 0:01:20from lots of different angles,
0:01:20 > 0:01:23just to make sure that we hadn't missed the impact.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26But it was nowhere to be found.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29A man claiming he's too injured to work
0:01:29 > 0:01:31appears to be fighting fit.
0:01:31 > 0:01:35They were able to find video evidence of a claimant
0:01:35 > 0:01:38fighting in a kick-boxing competition,
0:01:38 > 0:01:40only five weeks after the accident.
0:01:40 > 0:01:44And, in America, a father confesses to killing his son
0:01:44 > 0:01:47in a shocking life insurance scam.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08Now, if any aspect of an insurance claim is falsified,
0:02:08 > 0:02:09then that's fraud.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11Pretty straightforward, you'd reckon.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14While scammers often think that providing fake details
0:02:14 > 0:02:18to allow an innocent third party to make a claim will protect them
0:02:18 > 0:02:20but they're wrong
0:02:20 > 0:02:22because it is still fraud, pure and simple,
0:02:22 > 0:02:26and insurers will pursue these cheats at all costs.
0:02:27 > 0:02:31Whether you are hiring a car, bike, or cement-mixer,
0:02:31 > 0:02:35these things will all be covered by insurance, should anything happen.
0:02:37 > 0:02:41Scott Clayton is a fraud and investigations manager for Zurich,
0:02:41 > 0:02:44and it's his job to deal with suspicious claims.
0:02:44 > 0:02:46He was asked to review one case
0:02:46 > 0:02:49where a hire company had leased professional camera equipment
0:02:49 > 0:02:52to a customer travelling abroad to make a movie.
0:02:55 > 0:02:57The claim we got was that Mr Kakaie
0:02:57 > 0:03:01had put this video equipment into four holdalls
0:03:01 > 0:03:05and checked them in on a flight from Aberdeen to Istanbul, via Heathrow,
0:03:05 > 0:03:09and the bags had been lost somewhere in transit between the two places.
0:03:09 > 0:03:11The value was quite significant
0:03:11 > 0:03:13because it was very expensive camera equipment.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16So, in total, it was approximately £189,000.
0:03:16 > 0:03:20With such a massive loss, all eyes were on the airline.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23However, lost luggage isn't unheard of.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26It does usually turn up somewhere.
0:03:26 > 0:03:30It's not very often that you get a suggestion that bags
0:03:30 > 0:03:31have been completely lost,
0:03:31 > 0:03:35with all the technology the airlines have tracking bags, etc,
0:03:35 > 0:03:39so to suggest that four bags were lost between these airports
0:03:39 > 0:03:42was quite suspicious, in its own right.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45So, obviously, that prompted the investigation.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48And there was one very obvious first port of call
0:03:48 > 0:03:50for Scott's investigation.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53We took steps to contact the airline because,
0:03:53 > 0:03:55with the technology the airlines have these days
0:03:55 > 0:03:57tracking bags through airports,
0:03:57 > 0:03:59we wanted to find out exactly what records they had.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02And as it turned out, the airline in question
0:04:02 > 0:04:06was able to provide some very revealing information.
0:04:06 > 0:04:08We were pleasantly surprised to learn
0:04:08 > 0:04:10that the bags had actually been X-rayed
0:04:10 > 0:04:11as they passed through the airport.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14So, the images were clearly of significant interest to us.
0:04:14 > 0:04:18But no-one could have predicted what these X-rays would -
0:04:18 > 0:04:20or rather would not - show.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23We were quite shocked to see that, instead of having £189,000 worth
0:04:23 > 0:04:26of camera equipment, they had nothing in them.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30This was crucial evidence,
0:04:30 > 0:04:32as it competently disproved Kakaie's account,
0:04:32 > 0:04:34which stated the camera equipment
0:04:34 > 0:04:37had been checked in at the airport to begin with,
0:04:37 > 0:04:40and strongly suggested foul play.
0:04:40 > 0:04:42At this point, we're thinking
0:04:42 > 0:04:45this is clearly somebody who's tried to claim that
0:04:45 > 0:04:47he's lost all this camera equipment,
0:04:47 > 0:04:49when he's probably kept it for himself
0:04:49 > 0:04:51and even used it, sold it, whatever.
0:04:51 > 0:04:53So it was a fraud.
0:04:53 > 0:04:55And we were obviously keen to get the bottom of it.
0:04:55 > 0:04:59At this point, it was looking likely that Kakaie had submitted
0:04:59 > 0:05:02a completely made-up insurance claim to the hire company
0:05:02 > 0:05:05in order to steal the camera equipment he had hired.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08Clearly, when we got the X-ray images
0:05:08 > 0:05:11showing that the bags were empty, this was the gotcha moment,
0:05:11 > 0:05:14because the evidence was compelling and, armed with that,
0:05:14 > 0:05:17we could then look to refer the matter to the police.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21The case was passed on to the City of London Police's
0:05:21 > 0:05:23Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department,
0:05:23 > 0:05:27where it was handled by DCI Oliver Little and his team.
0:05:27 > 0:05:29When we received the case, it was clear to us
0:05:29 > 0:05:32that what we needed to do was go and see Mr Kakaie,
0:05:32 > 0:05:35get his account, and find out if there's any property
0:05:35 > 0:05:39linking him to that missing equipment at his home address.
0:05:39 > 0:05:44Armed with a search warrant, IFED detectives paid Mr Kakaie a visit.
0:05:44 > 0:05:48When we got to Mr Kakaie's address, we did a thorough search.
0:05:48 > 0:05:52We were able to find five of the batteries of the cameras
0:05:52 > 0:05:55that were supposedly stolen during this theft.
0:05:55 > 0:05:59It was the hard evidence that detectives were hoping to find.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02Kakaie was arrested and charged with theft
0:06:02 > 0:06:05and fraud by false representation.
0:06:05 > 0:06:09But when he was questioned, he refused to deviate from his script.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13We interviewed Mr Kakaie on two occasions.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16On the first occasion, he stuck to his version of events.
0:06:16 > 0:06:21He put the items in the bags, as described, and they'd been stolen.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24On the second interview, faced with the overwhelming evidence,
0:06:24 > 0:06:27he didn't cooperate, he didn't speak, he just turned around.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30His sudden stage fright would do him no good
0:06:30 > 0:06:32as, by this point, IFED detectives
0:06:32 > 0:06:34had secured all the proof they needed
0:06:34 > 0:06:38that Kakaie was starring in his own criminal caper.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41Taking all the evidence into account,
0:06:41 > 0:06:44it was quite clear that Mr Kakaie had attempted
0:06:44 > 0:06:46a fairly major fraud here.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49He was after well over £100,000 for this camera equipment.
0:06:49 > 0:06:53So, we put that through to the Crown Prosecution Service
0:06:53 > 0:06:54and prosecuted him in the court.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58The case proceeded to trial at the Old Bailey.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00Taking it all together,
0:07:00 > 0:07:03the evidence we presented to the court was compelling.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06We had some of the items that he reported as being stolen
0:07:06 > 0:07:08in his home address,
0:07:08 > 0:07:11and his account of how they had moved
0:07:11 > 0:07:14through the airports just wasn't true.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17The evidence of the scanner was a critical part of the case.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22After a six-day trial, Kakaie was found guilty
0:07:22 > 0:07:25of two counts of fraud by false representation
0:07:25 > 0:07:26and one count of theft.
0:07:26 > 0:07:30And the penalty for his crimes would be severe.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32After trial, at which Mr Kakaie
0:07:32 > 0:07:35again tried to protest his innocence, he was found guilty
0:07:35 > 0:07:39and convicted to a sentence of imprisonment for two years.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44A hefty punishment for this movie-making fraudster,
0:07:44 > 0:07:46which may have been reduced if he'd come clean.
0:07:46 > 0:07:50I think the level of sentence reflects the amount of money
0:07:50 > 0:07:53that he was trying to defraud, so the greed of Mr Kakaie,
0:07:53 > 0:07:56and the fact that he never, ever admitted
0:07:56 > 0:07:58that what he'd done had been wrong.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01He never held his hands up. He kept sticking to his story.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04This was a brazen attempt at fraud and, like so many others,
0:08:04 > 0:08:07it's got them absolutely nowhere but in prison.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16Still to come,
0:08:16 > 0:08:19a woman secretly records her husband in an attempt
0:08:19 > 0:08:21to get the truth about her son's death.
0:08:41 > 0:08:42Now, we've all had near misses,
0:08:42 > 0:08:45whether it's not looking before crossing a road,
0:08:45 > 0:08:48or using quick reflexes to avoid a falling object.
0:08:48 > 0:08:51While most of us are just relieved to be unscathed,
0:08:51 > 0:08:53there are some people who see a near miss
0:08:53 > 0:08:58as a chance to collect a juicy pay-out they don't deserve.
0:08:59 > 0:09:05Cars, buses, trains, cyclists, angry dogs and rogue runners
0:09:05 > 0:09:09are just a few everyday hazards that could cause you harm
0:09:09 > 0:09:13if you happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
0:09:13 > 0:09:17BLM lawyer Sarah Hill, instructed by insurers Direct Line
0:09:17 > 0:09:21to handle one personal injury case that appeared legitimate.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24The circumstances surrounding the claim was that
0:09:24 > 0:09:27the policyholder was leaving his employment
0:09:27 > 0:09:30and he was on his way out of the business park in his vehicle
0:09:30 > 0:09:33when he came across an obstacle.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36There was a car with a pedestrian by the side of it,
0:09:36 > 0:09:37another employee,
0:09:37 > 0:09:41and the driver had to overtake to pass him to leave.
0:09:42 > 0:09:44This doesn't sound good.
0:09:44 > 0:09:48In doing so, it's alleged that he didn't leave enough room
0:09:48 > 0:09:52between his vehicle and the pedestrian, and that his
0:09:52 > 0:09:55wing mirror clipped the lower back of the pedestrian,
0:09:55 > 0:09:57causing him injury.
0:09:57 > 0:10:01The claim in total was around about £18,000.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03It may have just been the car's wing mirror,
0:10:03 > 0:10:06but it had clipped the claimant good and proper.
0:10:06 > 0:10:11The injuries were serious enough for him to say that it impacted upon his
0:10:11 > 0:10:14life for a period of seven months, and for four months in particular,
0:10:14 > 0:10:17he was unable to do anything that was normal
0:10:17 > 0:10:21in his life, such as gardening or going to the gym
0:10:21 > 0:10:24or even undertaking his normal working duties.
0:10:24 > 0:10:28The report suggested this claimant had really been through it,
0:10:28 > 0:10:31but any sympathy for his case would soon disappear.
0:10:31 > 0:10:35On the surface, it looked like a genuine claim,
0:10:35 > 0:10:38that is until evidence started to come in.
0:10:40 > 0:10:42A crucial piece of evidence that we obtained was
0:10:42 > 0:10:46a copy of the CCTV footage for the business park.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50Clearly, what you can see from the CCTV footage is that there was
0:10:50 > 0:10:53no impact between the wing mirror and the lower back,
0:10:53 > 0:10:56and there actually was enough room between the two,
0:10:56 > 0:11:00and the claimant was clear of any overtaking manoeuvre.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05Yeah, not the faintest of feather touches, but let's double-check.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11We were quite surprised, actually.
0:11:11 > 0:11:15What we decided to do was take a look at the CCTV footage from
0:11:15 > 0:11:18lots of different angles just to make sure that we hadn't missed...
0:11:18 > 0:11:22erm, the impact. But it was nowhere to be found.
0:11:22 > 0:11:24It may have been close,
0:11:24 > 0:11:28but the claimant's roadside shimmy had saved him.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30And how would you expect someone who's just been hit by a car
0:11:30 > 0:11:32to be feeling?
0:11:32 > 0:11:35Rather bizarrely, the claimant, A, doesn't hold his back,
0:11:35 > 0:11:38doesn't look as if there's been any impact,
0:11:38 > 0:11:39he's certainly not crying
0:11:39 > 0:11:44and he's walked away from the vehicle smiling.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47But what about the claimant's reported injuries
0:11:47 > 0:11:49and chronic pain?
0:11:49 > 0:11:54He went to see a physiotherapist 12 days after the alleged impact
0:11:54 > 0:11:56and he told the physiotherapist
0:11:56 > 0:12:00that he was well, that his movement was fine.
0:12:00 > 0:12:04The physiotherapist couldn't see any sign of injury in the lower back,
0:12:04 > 0:12:05in the lumbar spine,
0:12:05 > 0:12:09yet that completely conflicted with what he told the medical expert.
0:12:09 > 0:12:11Miraculous...
0:12:11 > 0:12:14considering he'd alleged to have suffered for seven months
0:12:14 > 0:12:16following the accident.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19Given the weight of evidence, the claim was repudiated.
0:12:19 > 0:12:24What happened next was that the claimant issued legal proceedings,
0:12:24 > 0:12:26which was quite a surprise,
0:12:26 > 0:12:31given that the claimant had actually seen the CCTV footage at this stage.
0:12:31 > 0:12:35But even conclusive video evidence wouldn't deter this claimant.
0:12:35 > 0:12:41With all the evidence, the claimant decided to try his luck in court
0:12:41 > 0:12:43and present his evidence to a judge.
0:12:43 > 0:12:48He upheld the fact that, actually, there hadn't been an impact
0:12:48 > 0:12:50and that the claimant hadn't told the truth
0:12:50 > 0:12:52through the course of the proceedings.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55The claimant may have had a near miss with the wing mirror,
0:12:55 > 0:12:58but he would regret his brush with the law.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01The outcome was the judge dismissed the claim on the basis that he found
0:13:01 > 0:13:05that no impact had occurred, so no injury could've been sustained
0:13:05 > 0:13:10and to penalise the claimant, the claimant was ordered to pay costs.
0:13:10 > 0:13:16He's now facing a hefty bill of nearly £12,000 for his efforts.
0:13:16 > 0:13:18And despite Sarah's experience,
0:13:18 > 0:13:23she's still amazed by the behaviour of insurance chancers.
0:13:23 > 0:13:28I am surprised at the extent and the level and the nature that
0:13:28 > 0:13:32people will go to, in light of really strong evidence,
0:13:32 > 0:13:35still to progress what in fact is a lie.
0:13:40 > 0:13:42Now, if you've ever had an accident,
0:13:42 > 0:13:45you may have been contacted by a claims management company
0:13:45 > 0:13:48telling you that you're entitled to compensation and that making
0:13:48 > 0:13:51a personal injury claim is easy and hassle free.
0:13:51 > 0:13:53What they might not tell you is that making
0:13:53 > 0:13:56a false or exaggerated claim is fraud,
0:13:56 > 0:13:59and if your case is found to be bogus in any way,
0:13:59 > 0:14:02then you alone are 100% responsible.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07The days of submitting a cheeky whiplash claim for
0:14:07 > 0:14:11a guaranteed pay-out are long gone, as insurance companies like Esure
0:14:11 > 0:14:16now have a zero-tolerance attitude towards this type of activity.
0:14:16 > 0:14:20Any suspicious claim received by Esure is investigated
0:14:20 > 0:14:24and, if need be, referred to a specialist insurance law firm,
0:14:24 > 0:14:26Horwich Farrelly.
0:14:26 > 0:14:30Partner Ronan McCann recently handled an all-too-common case.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33This was a claim for a personal injury
0:14:33 > 0:14:35as a result of a road traffic accident,
0:14:35 > 0:14:40so roughly £2,000. There was also a claim for vehicle repairs,
0:14:40 > 0:14:43which cost around £500.
0:14:43 > 0:14:47And it was Esure's policyholder who was at fault in one of the
0:14:47 > 0:14:51most everyday accident scenarios on the road.
0:14:51 > 0:14:56The circumstances to this accident was that it was after work.
0:14:56 > 0:14:58The defendant was travelling home.
0:14:58 > 0:15:02In front of him, in very heavy traffic, was a claimant.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05No prizes for guessing where this is going.
0:15:05 > 0:15:09The defendant assumed the claimant was going to move forward
0:15:09 > 0:15:12and he moved off at very low speed.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15Unfortunately, the claimant didn't move,
0:15:15 > 0:15:18and there was a slight kissing of the vehicles.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23And this coming together really was a fleeting peck
0:15:23 > 0:15:24on the claimant's rear end.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27This accident was the most minor of impacts.
0:15:27 > 0:15:32The defendant described it as a "touching of the vehicles".
0:15:32 > 0:15:34The damages to both cars might have been minor,
0:15:34 > 0:15:38but the same couldn't be said for the claimant.
0:15:38 > 0:15:40The allegation from the claimant was that he sustained
0:15:40 > 0:15:44a whiplash-type injury to his neck lasting four months.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51And the claimant's first port of call after the accident
0:15:51 > 0:15:53wasn't where you might expect.
0:15:53 > 0:15:58The chronology after the accident was suspicious.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01The claimant did not first attend upon his GP
0:16:01 > 0:16:03to complain about his injuries
0:16:03 > 0:16:07but instead went first to see solicitors to pursue
0:16:07 > 0:16:09a personal injury claim.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12So it seemed as if the claimant had money on his mind
0:16:12 > 0:16:14rather than his health.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16This immediately rang alarm bells.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19Why would anybody first attend upon solicitors
0:16:19 > 0:16:23to pursue a personal injury claim as opposed to attending
0:16:23 > 0:16:28upon a GP to get their treatment for their injuries?
0:16:28 > 0:16:33Good question, especially when you consider this guy's hobby.
0:16:33 > 0:16:37The claimant, who was a keen amateur kick boxer,
0:16:37 > 0:16:40suggested that he couldn't partake in any sports
0:16:40 > 0:16:44during the period that he was injured.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47Well, that's a given. Or so you'd think.
0:16:47 > 0:16:49But the claimant's bid for compensation was about to take
0:16:49 > 0:16:53a real body blow as Esure did some digging online.
0:16:53 > 0:16:57They were able to find video evidence of the claimant
0:16:57 > 0:17:00fighting in a kick boxing competition
0:17:00 > 0:17:03only five weeks after the accident.
0:17:03 > 0:17:07This showed the claimant taking kicks and punches to the head
0:17:07 > 0:17:10and for Esure, this clearly suggested to them
0:17:10 > 0:17:12that it was a fraudulent claim.
0:17:13 > 0:17:16A quite amazing feat, considering the claimant
0:17:16 > 0:17:19was reportedly suffering with chronic neck pain
0:17:19 > 0:17:21as a result of the accident.
0:17:23 > 0:17:25Only two weeks before the fight,
0:17:25 > 0:17:28the claimant had attended upon a medical legal practitioner
0:17:28 > 0:17:33and described that he was suffering from severe injuries.
0:17:33 > 0:17:37In no way could somebody with severe injuries to the neck
0:17:37 > 0:17:39take part in such a kick boxing fight.
0:17:39 > 0:17:43Well, considering it's one of the most ferocious forms
0:17:43 > 0:17:45of fighting, you'd assume not.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48When the medical records were reviewed,
0:17:48 > 0:17:52it seemed completely inconsistent that the claimant first
0:17:52 > 0:17:58mentioned to the GP initially that his only injuries were to his neck.
0:17:58 > 0:18:03It seemed to us that he invented the suggestion that his head
0:18:03 > 0:18:08and knee injuries were as a result of the road traffic accident.
0:18:08 > 0:18:12Ronan's team had all the evidence they needed to take action.
0:18:12 > 0:18:16As a result, we took the view that we would disclose the video footage
0:18:16 > 0:18:19and invite the claimant to discontinue.
0:18:19 > 0:18:21But instead of throwing in the towel,
0:18:21 > 0:18:26the claimant opted to go toe to toe with Horwich Farrelly in court.
0:18:26 > 0:18:31When this case got to trial, the video footage was crucial.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34When that was considered by the judge against
0:18:34 > 0:18:37the inconsistencies in the chronology, in the evidence,
0:18:37 > 0:18:41the judge could not accept a word that the claimant had said.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44And when it came to deciding a verdict,
0:18:44 > 0:18:46the decision didn't take long.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49The judge dismissed the claimant's case
0:18:49 > 0:18:53and looked at the video evidence and commented that the claimant
0:18:53 > 0:18:55looked perfectly fit and healthy.
0:18:55 > 0:18:59The judge found that the claimant was fundamentally dishonest,
0:18:59 > 0:19:03and was ordered to pay approximately £8,000.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07The kickboxer's claim had hit the canvas
0:19:07 > 0:19:10and he'd ended up with a whopping court bill
0:19:10 > 0:19:12for both solicitors' costs.
0:19:12 > 0:19:17In my view, these individuals are convinced to bring claims
0:19:17 > 0:19:21by accident management companies or claimant solicitors
0:19:21 > 0:19:24who explain to them that they are extremely straightforward.
0:19:24 > 0:19:29The result in this case shows the risks of anyone who believes that.
0:19:29 > 0:19:33Although, the claimant in this case has a significant cost order,
0:19:33 > 0:19:37he was very lucky that he didn't spend some time in prison.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45We've all seen how far UK scammers will go to collect
0:19:45 > 0:19:49an insurance pay-out, but fraudsters are an international problem.
0:19:49 > 0:19:53In fact, our American cousins have it just as bad, with cases
0:19:53 > 0:19:57that will shock you to your very core.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07The rural farming town of Varick in Upstate New York
0:20:07 > 0:20:09was home to the Karlsen family farm.
0:20:11 > 0:20:13In 2008, 23-year-old Levi
0:20:13 > 0:20:17was fixing his father's pick-up truck in the barn
0:20:17 > 0:20:21when something went horribly wrong.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54Tragically, Levi had been killed.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58Father Karl and stepmother Cindy
0:20:58 > 0:21:01had left Levi working alone earlier that day.
0:21:01 > 0:21:06It appeared that he'd been trapped underneath the truck for hours.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11At the time, investigators determined the event
0:21:11 > 0:21:14just to be an awful accident.
0:21:14 > 0:21:18That was until an anonymous family member contacted the police
0:21:18 > 0:21:20with an unbelievable allegation.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25They claimed Levi's death was no accident
0:21:25 > 0:21:29and that he was the victim of a ruthless insurance fraud
0:21:29 > 0:21:33perpetrated by his own father.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41It was alleged Karl Karlsen had engineered Levi's fatal
0:21:41 > 0:21:45accident in a plot to cash in on his son's life insurance policy.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48As a result of this call,
0:21:48 > 0:21:52the sheriff's office reopened the investigation into Levi's death.
0:21:54 > 0:21:58Investigations revealed that Karl had persuaded Levi to take out
0:21:58 > 0:22:03a life insurance policy worth 700,000 just 17 days
0:22:03 > 0:22:05before his son's death.
0:22:05 > 0:22:09Karl had also convinced Levi not to disclose a serious throat
0:22:09 > 0:22:14condition he suffered from in fear that the policy might be rejected,
0:22:14 > 0:22:17meaning this 700,000 insurance policy
0:22:17 > 0:22:20had been obtained fraudulently.
0:22:22 > 0:22:26Karlsen came under further suspicion as he had also persuaded Levi
0:22:26 > 0:22:29to write a will on the morning of the day he died, making his
0:22:29 > 0:22:33father the sole beneficiary of his life insurance policy.
0:22:33 > 0:22:38Investigators were convinced that this was far more than coincidence
0:22:38 > 0:22:42but as compelling as it was, the evidence was circumstantial.
0:22:42 > 0:22:44They would need further proof.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47So detectives turned to Karl's wife
0:22:47 > 0:22:50and Levi's stepmother, Cindy Karlsen.
0:22:52 > 0:22:56In 2012, Cindy was contacted by investigators.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59To their surprise, she also had growing suspicions
0:22:59 > 0:23:04that Levi's death was no accident. Six months after Levi's death,
0:23:04 > 0:23:09Karlsen received over 700,000 from the life insurance policy.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13Cindy explained how her husband went on a cash-feeding frenzy
0:23:13 > 0:23:15as soon as he had the money.
0:23:15 > 0:23:20Cindy hired a private investigator to dig into her husband's life.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23The PI discovered a terrifying fact.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28Without her knowledge, Karl had taken out various insurance
0:23:28 > 0:23:33policies, which meant that in the event of Cindy's death, Karlsen
0:23:33 > 0:23:36would be the sole beneficiary of assets and pay-outs
0:23:36 > 0:23:39totalling 1.2 million.
0:23:41 > 0:23:43Worried for her own life,
0:23:43 > 0:23:47Cindy left Karlsen and they were officially separated.
0:23:47 > 0:23:51However, Cindy agreed to co-operate with investigators and wear
0:23:51 > 0:23:54a wire in the hope she could record her husband
0:23:54 > 0:23:57confirming suspicions about Levi's death.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01She arranged to meet Karl in a diner under the guise
0:24:01 > 0:24:04of reconciling their marriage.
0:24:25 > 0:24:27Remember, Karl previously claimed
0:24:27 > 0:24:30to have had no knowledge of the accident
0:24:30 > 0:24:34until he returned home with Cindy to find Levi underneath the truck.
0:24:34 > 0:24:39He has just admitted he was present during his death.
0:24:54 > 0:24:58The conversation Cindy covertly recorded
0:24:58 > 0:25:01was far from a full confession but Karlsen did admit
0:25:01 > 0:25:05he was there and in fact caused the alleged accident,
0:25:05 > 0:25:08which contradicted everything he'd said to date.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11Investigators now had all they needed to arrest
0:25:11 > 0:25:13and interrogate Karl Karlsen.
0:25:13 > 0:25:17Karlsen was interviewed for over nine hours,
0:25:17 > 0:25:21in which he repeatedly denied planning to kill his son.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37Initially, Karlsen stuck to his original story -
0:25:37 > 0:25:42that he had returned home with his wife and found his son dead.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45He then admits that he was there and, in fact,
0:25:45 > 0:25:47caused the truck to fall on Levi.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03Karlsen maintains this was a genuine accident
0:26:03 > 0:26:05and due to the shock,
0:26:05 > 0:26:09he was overwhelmed and was unable to help his trapped son.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39While Karlsen acknowledged being responsible
0:26:39 > 0:26:42for Levi's death, he was insistent it wasn't
0:26:42 > 0:26:44a deliberate act to kill him.
0:26:44 > 0:26:48Despite this, investigators had enough evidence.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51Karl Karlsen was charged with second-degree murder
0:26:51 > 0:26:52and insurance fraud.
0:26:52 > 0:26:56Karlsen was so anxious to get his hands on the 700,000
0:26:56 > 0:26:59from his son's fraudulently obtained life insurance,
0:26:59 > 0:27:01he'd done the unthinkable.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04In 2013, the case went to court, where,
0:27:04 > 0:27:08faced with the overwhelming evidence against him,
0:27:08 > 0:27:10Karlsen at last told the truth.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13He admitted to intentionally knocking the pick-up truck
0:27:13 > 0:27:17off its jack and leaving his son underneath to die.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20Karl Karlsen pleaded guilty to murder.
0:27:20 > 0:27:22In his closing statement,
0:27:22 > 0:27:25the judge told Karlsen he was not fully human and said,
0:27:25 > 0:27:29"You belong in prison and you belong there until you die."
0:27:29 > 0:27:31Karl Karlsen was sentenced
0:27:31 > 0:27:34to between 15 years and life behind bars
0:27:34 > 0:27:38Karlsen had facilitated a 700,000 insurance fraud
0:27:38 > 0:27:43and murdered his son to make sure he was paid every penny of that money.
0:27:43 > 0:27:47He could now spend the rest of his life behind bars.
0:27:52 > 0:27:56From people chancing their luck by exaggerating their injuries to
0:27:56 > 0:28:01organised criminal gangs, insurance fraud hits all of us in the pocket.
0:28:01 > 0:28:03But instead of getting away with it,
0:28:03 > 0:28:07more and more of these fraudsters are being claimed and shamed.