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 > 0:00:18that's almost 3.6 million every day.
0:00:18 > 0:00:24Deliberate crashes, bogus personal injuries, even phantom pets -
0:00:24 > 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 > 0:00:36But 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 > 0:00:44The subject is out the vehicle.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47..sophisticated danger analysis techniques...
0:00:48 > 0:00:51..and a number of highly skilled police units...
0:00:51 > 0:00:53Police, stay where you are!
0:00:53 > 0:00:55..they're catching the 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.
0:01:11 > 0:01:13A thief stealing fraudulently obtained hire cars
0:01:13 > 0:01:20is flushed out in a unique surveillance operation.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23The best option for us was to set up a sting operation
0:01:23 > 0:01:27to get this fraudster out of the shadows and into the light,
0:01:27 > 0:01:29so we could find out his true identity.
0:01:30 > 0:01:32A claimant loses his cool when his phoney story
0:01:32 > 0:01:35for a lost smartphone is unravelled.
0:01:36 > 0:01:38This individual claimant
0:01:38 > 0:01:42then claimed their friend had stolen the handset off them.
0:01:54 > 0:01:58Motor insurance scams are getting ever more sophisticated,
0:01:58 > 0:02:01often designed to repeatedly defraud companies
0:02:01 > 0:02:04out of staggering amounts of cash.
0:02:04 > 0:02:06But no matter how clever criminals think they are,
0:02:06 > 0:02:10insurers are going to extraordinary lengths
0:02:10 > 0:02:12to stay one step ahead of them.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15Every time we get behind the wheel of a car,
0:02:15 > 0:02:17there's a chance we could have an accident.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20Credit hire companies, like Accident Exchange,
0:02:20 > 0:02:24can provide temporary vehicles while yours is being fixed.
0:02:24 > 0:02:28The Asset Protection Unit is a dedicated team within the company
0:02:28 > 0:02:33who detect and stop any potential fraud in its tracks.
0:02:33 > 0:02:35Director of Investigative Services Neil Thomas
0:02:35 > 0:02:38is the tip of the scam-busting spear
0:02:38 > 0:02:41and took on one case that needed all the skills and experience
0:02:41 > 0:02:45his 30 years in the police force had given him.
0:02:45 > 0:02:49We received a claim which, on initial glance, looked like a normal claim.
0:02:49 > 0:02:54So, two vehicles involved, two people involved in the accident.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57The at-fault party had admitted liability at the scene,
0:02:57 > 0:02:58so it seemed like a normal claim.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01The customer was given a replacement hire vehicle
0:03:01 > 0:03:04and everything appeared normal,
0:03:04 > 0:03:07until the claimant vanished.
0:03:08 > 0:03:13All of a sudden, the claimant disappeared and the car disappeared.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18APU were instructed to investigate,
0:03:18 > 0:03:20firstly to see where the client was
0:03:20 > 0:03:22and, as importantly, to find out where the car was.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25And when Neil examined the claimant's documents,
0:03:25 > 0:03:27an alarming discovery was made.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29The identities were false,
0:03:29 > 0:03:32in relation to both the at-fault driver,
0:03:32 > 0:03:36the car he'd used in the accident was actually still for sale
0:03:36 > 0:03:39on a forecourt somewhere else in the country.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42In fact, every piece of information that had been supplied
0:03:42 > 0:03:45was completely bogus.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47We knew then we were dealing with something
0:03:47 > 0:03:50that was more than just someone who'd switched their phone off
0:03:50 > 0:03:53or perhaps moved house during the hire period.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55We knew it was a fraud.
0:03:55 > 0:03:59Neil's investigation quickly uncovered the claimant's MO.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04The claimant would find two what he thought were overpriced cars
0:04:04 > 0:04:07on forecourts advertised on the internet,
0:04:07 > 0:04:12and then take out insurance using a stolen credit card
0:04:12 > 0:04:15or payment card, and then, finding a location
0:04:15 > 0:04:20where he felt comfortable that he could stage an accident virtually.
0:04:20 > 0:04:24So, no accident actually took place. He just made it all up.
0:04:26 > 0:04:30But this was merely the beginning of the con.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33The claimant would then contact credit hire companies
0:04:33 > 0:04:36and tell them he'd been involved in a non-fault accident
0:04:36 > 0:04:39and try and get a replacement like-for-like car.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41And it appeared as if Accident Exchange
0:04:41 > 0:04:45weren't the only victims of this fraudster.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48It turned out quite quickly that a number of credit hire companies
0:04:48 > 0:04:51in particular, throughout the country,
0:04:51 > 0:04:55had also been targeted by people using false identities,
0:04:55 > 0:04:57and using the false identities
0:04:57 > 0:05:01with false insurance policies to steal cars.
0:05:01 > 0:05:03Neil's investigation had sussed out
0:05:03 > 0:05:06how and where this credit hire conman was working,
0:05:06 > 0:05:11but the biggest question remained unanswered.
0:05:11 > 0:05:13The challenge for us was to go deeper
0:05:13 > 0:05:16and actually find out who was the mastermind behind the scam.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19But it wouldn't be long before Neil would get a shot
0:05:19 > 0:05:22at flushing out this insurance cheat.
0:05:22 > 0:05:26When a second similar claim came in, it had a number of links,
0:05:26 > 0:05:28similarities between that one and the first one.
0:05:28 > 0:05:32The best option for us was to set up a sting operation,
0:05:32 > 0:05:33so we could find out his true identity.
0:05:36 > 0:05:39The profile matched that of the unknown fraudster,
0:05:39 > 0:05:42so instead of rejecting
0:05:42 > 0:05:44what they were almost certain was a false claim,
0:05:44 > 0:05:48Neil and his team took a bold step.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51We then arranged the delivery, so the car was delivered,
0:05:51 > 0:05:53and it was under surveillance all of the time.
0:05:55 > 0:06:00The claimant turned up at the scene and started signing over documents,
0:06:00 > 0:06:03so that gave us a little bit of time
0:06:03 > 0:06:05for the person to commit to the fraud.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10With the assistance of the Lancashire police force,
0:06:10 > 0:06:12Neil finally had his man.
0:06:13 > 0:06:17He was arrested and taken to Preston police station for questioning.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20As a result of the sting operation,
0:06:20 > 0:06:25we finally found out that the fraudster behind all of this
0:06:25 > 0:06:26was a man called Naveed Shah.
0:06:26 > 0:06:31Shah had been caught red-handed, but there would be no confession.
0:06:31 > 0:06:35He initially denied any involvement.
0:06:35 > 0:06:39He said he'd found a bag of false identity documents
0:06:39 > 0:06:40in a bus stop locally
0:06:40 > 0:06:42and he'd approached the credit hire company
0:06:42 > 0:06:45just to get a nice car for a few days.
0:06:45 > 0:06:47He had no intention of keeping the car.
0:06:47 > 0:06:51Shah was charged with over 20 counts of fraud and vehicle theft,
0:06:51 > 0:06:54before being released on bail.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56But while the police built their case,
0:06:56 > 0:06:59Shah was soon up to his old tricks.
0:07:01 > 0:07:03Within weeks of Shah being bailed,
0:07:03 > 0:07:08I was alerted to another attempt to defraud the industry.
0:07:08 > 0:07:12He had approached another company in a different part of the country,
0:07:12 > 0:07:14using a similar MO,
0:07:14 > 0:07:17wanting another car.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19I decided that enough was enough,
0:07:19 > 0:07:22we needed to do yet another sting operation.
0:07:22 > 0:07:26Using all his years of police training in covert investigations,
0:07:26 > 0:07:30Neil once again planned and executed a staged delivery
0:07:30 > 0:07:32with an Accident Exchange vehicle,
0:07:32 > 0:07:34which was filmed by a member of Neil's team.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40So you'll see Naveed Shah wearing a blue jumper.
0:07:40 > 0:07:45You see him here signing over the documents, looking round the car,
0:07:45 > 0:07:48and that was a tactic that we used to try and give us some time.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51As Shah produces forged documents
0:07:51 > 0:07:55and tries to take delivery of the car, the police are called in.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57A police van turns up.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59He looks over to the van
0:07:59 > 0:08:02to see if it's just a police officer on the car park.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05Unfortunately for him, they were there to arrest him.
0:08:05 > 0:08:07But Shah wasn't working alone.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09When he takes the bag from his shoulder,
0:08:09 > 0:08:12my belief is he's indicating to two accomplices
0:08:12 > 0:08:14at the other end of the car park
0:08:14 > 0:08:17to almost say, "This is a signal, the police are onto us,
0:08:17 > 0:08:19"you need to run away."
0:08:19 > 0:08:22Unfortunately for them, there was no escape.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24I was in the other part of the car park
0:08:24 > 0:08:27and I detained the two other people.
0:08:27 > 0:08:31So then you'll see the police officer walking towards Shah.
0:08:31 > 0:08:35He doesn't put up a fight, he doesn't try and run away.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38Then he just walks along towards the police officer
0:08:38 > 0:08:42and then hands the bag over and almost surrenders.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45Shah was back in custody once again.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48He denied his involvement again.
0:08:48 > 0:08:51All the way through, he denied any involvement
0:08:51 > 0:08:53in relation to trying to steal the cars.
0:08:55 > 0:08:56Still to come,
0:08:56 > 0:09:00Neil and APU think their cover is blown
0:09:00 > 0:09:03as one final trap is set for Naveed Shah.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06You've got a spotter, who's in a doorway,
0:09:06 > 0:09:10probably about 250 yards nearer the plot than you are.
0:09:15 > 0:09:18Nowadays, there isn't much you can't do on a smartphone,
0:09:18 > 0:09:23which undoubtedly makes them one of THE must-have gadgets.
0:09:23 > 0:09:25That desirability and their high resale value
0:09:25 > 0:09:29makes them very attractive to some insurance cheats.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32But modern technology is helping to bust the attempts
0:09:32 > 0:09:35of cellular scammers looking to make bogus claims.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40For a while, phones got smaller.
0:09:40 > 0:09:44But now, they seem to be growing in size once again.
0:09:44 > 0:09:46Companies like Assurant
0:09:46 > 0:09:48have been insuring customers' handsets
0:09:48 > 0:09:52right through the evolution to the modern smartphone.
0:09:52 > 0:09:57Andy Morris has made protecting people's devices his business
0:09:57 > 0:10:01and knows full well that not all claims are as they appear.
0:10:03 > 0:10:07This particular claim was for a high-end Apple iPhone
0:10:07 > 0:10:10to the value of over £600.
0:10:10 > 0:10:14The circumstances of this particular claim were not uncommon.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17The individual had lost the phone
0:10:17 > 0:10:19whilst on a night out with their friends
0:10:19 > 0:10:23and lost it in the back of a taxi.
0:10:23 > 0:10:27Easily done. But all phones have a unique identity number,
0:10:27 > 0:10:29making them instantly trackable,
0:10:29 > 0:10:34especially if a handset is sold to a mobile phone recycling shop.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37Part of the validation checks that our agents go through
0:10:37 > 0:10:40is to check with the recyclers in the marketplace
0:10:40 > 0:10:42to see if the phone had been sold.
0:10:42 > 0:10:44For this particular claimant,
0:10:44 > 0:10:48what it demonstrated is that we had information
0:10:48 > 0:10:50they had sold the handset to a recycler.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54Having found a match on the claimant's handset
0:10:54 > 0:10:57with one particular phone recycler, action was taken.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01When we obtained the information
0:11:01 > 0:11:06that this particular handset had been sold to a recycler,
0:11:06 > 0:11:11our agents telephoned the claimant
0:11:11 > 0:11:14to discuss the evidence that we had found.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50The evidence was unequivocal.
0:11:50 > 0:11:54We had the device being sold to the recycler
0:11:54 > 0:11:58and we also had the identity of this individual
0:11:58 > 0:12:01being verified by the recycler.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03But the claimant would soon change his story.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08So, during the discussion with the claimant,
0:12:08 > 0:12:11the claimant actually admitted at one point
0:12:11 > 0:12:13and said that they'd got into financial difficulties
0:12:13 > 0:12:16and that was the reason that they'd sold the handset,
0:12:16 > 0:12:18but subsequently,
0:12:18 > 0:12:23they had returned the cash to the recycler and got the handset back.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25Whether he'd bought the phone back or not,
0:12:25 > 0:12:28the claimant was still trying to make an insurance claim
0:12:28 > 0:12:32for a device he said he'd lost when he hadn't.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58The claimant's fuse is burning ever shorter.
0:12:58 > 0:13:00He is now saying that he DID sell his phone
0:13:00 > 0:13:02because he needed the cash,
0:13:02 > 0:13:05but then he bought it back and genuinely lost it.
0:13:05 > 0:13:07Hard to believe? Well, it wasn't long
0:13:07 > 0:13:10before his story took another handbrake turn.
0:13:10 > 0:13:14During this very aggressive discussion,
0:13:14 > 0:13:17the story became even more far-fetched.
0:13:17 > 0:13:19This individual claimant then claimed
0:13:19 > 0:13:22their friend had stolen the handset off them
0:13:22 > 0:13:28and miraculously sold it back to the same handset recycler.
0:13:28 > 0:13:32The call handler questions the claimant on this dubious allegation.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43That doesn't sound like a good friend to me.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46And the claimant is very forgiving,
0:13:46 > 0:13:50considering what his so-called pal is alleged to have done.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03Despite this claimant providing a far-fetched story
0:14:03 > 0:14:06about events and what they said had happened,
0:14:06 > 0:14:11they didn't want to inform us of who this friend was.
0:14:22 > 0:14:26Well, his concern for his unidentified friend
0:14:26 > 0:14:28wouldn't help his claim.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31Rather than taking the opportunity of being honest,
0:14:31 > 0:14:35this claimant continued with this story,
0:14:35 > 0:14:38so we had the evidence that it was them
0:14:38 > 0:14:39that had sold it to the recycler.
0:14:39 > 0:14:43There was only ever one transaction.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46We had the evidence that it was the same device.
0:14:46 > 0:14:50The claimant became increasingly irate with the call handler.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08During the process of our agents rejecting the claim
0:15:08 > 0:15:12because this claimant had provided misleading information,
0:15:12 > 0:15:15the claimant abused our staff
0:15:15 > 0:15:17and asked us to immediately cancel his policy.
0:15:32 > 0:15:36The evidence suggested this claimant thought pulling a phoney fast one
0:15:36 > 0:15:38was going to be a walk in the park.
0:15:38 > 0:15:42But insurers are using technology to stay one step ahead of the game.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46I don't think that people realise the extent
0:15:46 > 0:15:49that the industry works and collaborates
0:15:49 > 0:15:52and how the mobile phone industry
0:15:52 > 0:15:56actually has a unique identifier for every device.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05It's no secret that staging car crashes
0:16:05 > 0:16:08is one of the favoured scams of insurance cheats,
0:16:08 > 0:16:11mostly as they think there's every chance they'll get away with it.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14But with insurers and police taking a hard line
0:16:14 > 0:16:16against any kind of crash for cash crime,
0:16:16 > 0:16:20that couldn't be further from the truth.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23With so much traffic on UK roads,
0:16:23 > 0:16:25insurers are dealing with thousands
0:16:25 > 0:16:28of motor-related personal injury claims every day.
0:16:29 > 0:16:33But many of these are exaggerated or totally made up.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36It's a problem AXA's head of fraud, Richard Davies,
0:16:36 > 0:16:39is determined to fight.
0:16:41 > 0:16:43He was recently handed one case
0:16:43 > 0:16:47involving an AXA policyholder to investigate.
0:16:47 > 0:16:51Qadir Hanif told us he had had a very serious motor accident.
0:16:51 > 0:16:52He was driving along the road
0:16:52 > 0:16:55and then he had been T-boned by somebody exiting from a junction.
0:16:55 > 0:16:57TYRES SCREECH
0:16:57 > 0:17:00As a result of that, his car was a total write-off,
0:17:00 > 0:17:03he told us that he had injuries to his neck,
0:17:03 > 0:17:06he told us that he had suffered psychological distress
0:17:06 > 0:17:11and submitted a claim to us worth...
0:17:11 > 0:17:15It sounded like a truly traumatic experience.
0:17:15 > 0:17:19The driver of the other vehicle supported Hanif's version of events
0:17:19 > 0:17:23and Richard was keen to get this sorted for the customer.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26On the face of it, this appeared to be a genuine claim
0:17:26 > 0:17:29for a very serious accident.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31However, when we got to look at the vehicles,
0:17:31 > 0:17:34the story began to fall apart.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37Inspecting the accident damage to both cars
0:17:37 > 0:17:40would take them a big step closer to the truth.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43When we looked at the vehicles, there were two features
0:17:43 > 0:17:45which our engineer told us were wrong.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48We had been told that Mr Hanif was driving along the road
0:17:48 > 0:17:53and that a vehicle had exited from a junction and that he'd been T-boned.
0:17:53 > 0:17:57What you'd expect to see on Mr Hanif's car is scraping of the paint
0:17:57 > 0:18:00and the engineer couldn't see any of that.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03That tells us that the claim isn't genuine.
0:18:03 > 0:18:08The evidence suggested Hanif's car had been hit whilst stationary,
0:18:08 > 0:18:12indicating that the cars had been deliberately crashed
0:18:12 > 0:18:14in a staged collision.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17At this point, our engineer is reporting
0:18:17 > 0:18:21that the claim could not be genuine because the evidence
0:18:21 > 0:18:25of the damage to the vehicles didn't stack up with the injuries
0:18:25 > 0:18:27which Qadir said he was suffering.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30And on digging into Hanif's medical records,
0:18:30 > 0:18:33it was discovered he was actually claiming
0:18:33 > 0:18:37for £1,000 of physio treatment he never actually received.
0:18:37 > 0:18:43But despite the evidence against him, Hanif would not roll over.
0:18:43 > 0:18:45Well, Qadir put up a hell of a fight with this claim.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48He refused to accept the engineering evidence that we put to him
0:18:48 > 0:18:50and he took us to court.
0:18:50 > 0:18:55An interesting decision and one he would soon regret.
0:18:55 > 0:19:01We in turn defended that claim and the judge, when we got to court,
0:19:01 > 0:19:05found that Mr Hanif's evidence was completely dishonest.
0:19:05 > 0:19:11As a result, we were awarded a costs order of £7,800 that time.
0:19:11 > 0:19:16A good result for Richard and the team at AXA.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19But their satisfaction would be short-lived.
0:19:19 > 0:19:21At this stage, we thought that we were going to at least recover
0:19:21 > 0:19:24some of our costs of defending this claim
0:19:24 > 0:19:28and those costs run into thousands and thousands of pounds.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31However, Qadir did not pay us any money at all.
0:19:31 > 0:19:33Instead, he jumped the country.
0:19:33 > 0:19:35He left without a trace.
0:19:35 > 0:19:40Hanif might have done a runner to avoid having to pay hefty costs,
0:19:40 > 0:19:44but when he returns, it won't just be customs officers waiting for him.
0:19:44 > 0:19:46We didn't stop pursuing him.
0:19:46 > 0:19:50We went back to the court and the judge subsequently imprisoned him
0:19:50 > 0:19:55to eight months in jail and reinforced the costs order for us
0:19:55 > 0:19:57to the value of £10,000.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00And for those who think Hanif still got off lightly...
0:20:00 > 0:20:02Were Mr Hanif to return to the country,
0:20:02 > 0:20:04he would be stopped at the border,
0:20:04 > 0:20:08he would be arrested and he would be sent to jail for eight months.
0:20:14 > 0:20:18Previously, Neil Thomas had exposed serial fraudster Naveed Shah,
0:20:18 > 0:20:22who was stealing fraudulently obtained credit hire vehicles
0:20:22 > 0:20:23from across the UK.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26But despite Shah having been caught
0:20:26 > 0:20:30and arrested twice in two separate staged delivery operations,
0:20:30 > 0:20:34new evidence suggested he was potentially going for a third car.
0:20:34 > 0:20:39Even though Naveed Shah had been arrested and given bail,
0:20:39 > 0:20:44you would think that that would have taught him to keep his head down
0:20:44 > 0:20:46and not get involved in any other offences,
0:20:46 > 0:20:47certainly whilst he's on bail.
0:20:47 > 0:20:51However, I was alerted to another potential claimant
0:20:51 > 0:20:54using the same way of operating.
0:20:54 > 0:20:58My decision was to, again, do another staged delivery.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01We didn't know whether it would be a separate claimant,
0:21:01 > 0:21:05somebody working with Naveed Shah or Naveed himself.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08Well, it was time to find out.
0:21:08 > 0:21:10With the support of the Lancashire police force,
0:21:10 > 0:21:13Neil and the APU operations team travelled to Blackburn,
0:21:13 > 0:21:16where the vehicle delivery was due to take place.
0:21:17 > 0:21:19We've done all the final preparations,
0:21:19 > 0:21:21we've made sure that the driver
0:21:21 > 0:21:25is comfortable with what he has to say to the client,
0:21:25 > 0:21:28most importantly made sure that he's comfortable,
0:21:28 > 0:21:29that he's got a danger signal.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32It's going to be quite a challenge for us
0:21:32 > 0:21:35to deliver the car and not be seen.
0:21:35 > 0:21:39Shah had been getting away with his scam thus far with careful planning
0:21:39 > 0:21:42and, given his recent arrests,
0:21:42 > 0:21:45would more than likely be extra cautious during today's pick-up.
0:21:45 > 0:21:51What we're looking for is any counter-surveillance people,
0:21:51 > 0:21:54any people that are going to spot us as we approach.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56We've got to be on our toes.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59Soon, Neil's fears are confirmed.
0:21:59 > 0:22:01There is a spotter on the right.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04There is a spotter on the right, just there coming out of the shop.
0:22:04 > 0:22:08- This one here?- Yeah. The man in the grey, with the white hood.
0:22:08 > 0:22:10So he warns the APU team member
0:22:10 > 0:22:13posing as the vehicle delivery driver.
0:22:13 > 0:22:15You've got a spotter who's in a doorway,
0:22:15 > 0:22:20probably about 250 yards nearer the plot than you are.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22The delivery driver, codename Nathan,
0:22:22 > 0:22:25has arrived at the prearranged drop-off location.
0:22:27 > 0:22:32So the situation now is that we've parked out of the way.
0:22:34 > 0:22:36We're waiting on a phone call from Nathan, the delivery driver.
0:22:36 > 0:22:41He's made a phone call to the client just to make the delivery.
0:22:41 > 0:22:45The claimant is reportedly en route to take delivery of the car
0:22:45 > 0:22:48and the APU team are in position.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51But Neil's concerned the claimant may have had a tip-off.
0:22:51 > 0:22:55It's a little bit of a stalemate. We've got some spotters in the area,
0:22:55 > 0:22:58the delivery driver is in the car waiting for the person to turn up.
0:23:06 > 0:23:08With no sign of the claimant,
0:23:08 > 0:23:11Neil makes a call to the driver and ups the ante.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14I think what we need to do now is move it to the next level.
0:23:14 > 0:23:19So, if you're comfortable, I think probably go to the door.
0:23:19 > 0:23:23Neil and his team are highly trained in covert surveillance operations.
0:23:23 > 0:23:27Nevertheless, this move is still a calculated risk.
0:23:28 > 0:23:32Neil receives a call from the delivery driver.
0:23:32 > 0:23:34Yeah, OK. OK, I'll come back to you shortly.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40Well, the situation now is that the delivery driver's still waiting.
0:23:40 > 0:23:41He's been to the client's address,
0:23:41 > 0:23:43there's no reply at the client's door
0:23:43 > 0:23:45and the client's mobile phone is off
0:23:45 > 0:23:48so we're still waiting for contact with the client.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51But that would soon change.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54The driver has contacted the client, who's answered the phone,
0:23:54 > 0:23:58who now says that he's at a hospital appointment
0:23:58 > 0:24:01in the Manchester area
0:24:01 > 0:24:04so we're unable to deliver the car at the moment.
0:24:04 > 0:24:06We've asked him if he wants us to go to Manchester,
0:24:06 > 0:24:12but he's declined that so we're a little bit stuck at the moment.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15Neil informs the rest of the team.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20It's a stand-down, we made contact with the client
0:24:20 > 0:24:23or Nathan has, the delivery driver.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26He's saying he's in Manchester at a hospital appointment,
0:24:26 > 0:24:29so I think that's it for today, we can't do much else.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31OK, thank you. Bye-bye.
0:24:33 > 0:24:37The bogus claim submitted had all the hallmarks of Naveed Shah.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40But, in truth, there was no way to know whether this particular scam
0:24:40 > 0:24:44was orchestrated by him or any of his accomplices.
0:24:44 > 0:24:48What was certain, though, was that, thanks to APU's investigation,
0:24:48 > 0:24:51the police now had enough evidence to prosecute him.
0:24:51 > 0:24:55By this point, it was estimated that Shah had fraudulently obtained
0:24:55 > 0:25:00and subsequently stolen a quarter of a million pounds' worth of cars.
0:25:00 > 0:25:06There were about ten vehicles stolen by Shah and the accomplices.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09We haven't identified, as yet, the accomplices.
0:25:10 > 0:25:14Some of the vehicles have been found and recovered,
0:25:14 > 0:25:16others are still outstanding.
0:25:16 > 0:25:18We're still working with the police
0:25:18 > 0:25:19to try and identify where those vehicles are.
0:25:19 > 0:25:24Shah had been perpetrating his scam across the UK.
0:25:24 > 0:25:28But the case was ultimately taken on by the Lancashire Constabulary
0:25:28 > 0:25:32and overseen by DI Tim McDermott.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35Mr Shah was originally charged with 26 offences
0:25:35 > 0:25:38that related to either the theft or attempted theft
0:25:38 > 0:25:41of motor vehicles or fraud offences.
0:25:41 > 0:25:45And given the level of sophistication of Shah's scam,
0:25:45 > 0:25:49investigators knew there was no way he could have been working alone.
0:25:50 > 0:25:52There came a point during the court process
0:25:52 > 0:25:54when it was deemed appropriate
0:25:54 > 0:25:58that the charges should be combined into a conspiracy charge
0:25:58 > 0:26:02to encompass all the evidence that we had in front of us.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05So he was then charged with conspiring with persons unknown
0:26:05 > 0:26:07to commit the fraud and the theft offences
0:26:07 > 0:26:10and it was on that basis that Mr Shah eventually pleaded guilty.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15So, Shah had finally put his hands up to his crimes.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18However, his victims aren't just the insurers
0:26:18 > 0:26:20and credit hire companies he targeted.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25In this case, you have vehicles that are stolen and not recovered
0:26:25 > 0:26:28and you need to think about who or where those vehicles have gone to,
0:26:28 > 0:26:29who's bought them.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32So has it been bought by a law-abiding member of the public
0:26:32 > 0:26:35who has spent their last pennies on buying a nice car
0:26:35 > 0:26:37for their family, but ends up losing the car
0:26:37 > 0:26:40because it's subsequently identified as being stolen?
0:26:40 > 0:26:45Shah's arrogance and contempt for the law was ultimately his undoing.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48There's no doubt that Mr Shah thought
0:26:48 > 0:26:51that the MO he'd come up with was sophisticated
0:26:51 > 0:26:54and that he was extremely confident
0:26:54 > 0:26:57that it was too complex for us to be able to unravel.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00The end result, as you can see, is that he goes to jail.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03Shah severely underestimated the determination
0:27:03 > 0:27:07of companies like Accident Exchange and the police.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10Having already pled guilty to conspiring to commit fraud
0:27:10 > 0:27:13and vehicle theft, he returns to court to be sentenced.
0:27:15 > 0:27:17In Preston Crown Court today,
0:27:17 > 0:27:22Naveed Shah received a sentence of two years immediate custody.
0:27:22 > 0:27:26There were some gasps in the public seating.
0:27:26 > 0:27:30I think it was a shock to both Shah and certainly the people with him.
0:27:30 > 0:27:36It's a satisfying result for Neil and all the staff at APU.
0:27:36 > 0:27:38We've actually brought Naveed Shah
0:27:38 > 0:27:41out from the shadows, into the light.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43I think the right decision was made today
0:27:43 > 0:27:46and it's another fraudster taken off the streets.
0:27:51 > 0:27:54Whether it's exaggerating real injuries,
0:27:54 > 0:27:56totally making up a story for a dodgy claim
0:27:56 > 0:28:00or masterminding insurance fraud on an industrial scale,
0:28:00 > 0:28:03insurers are coming down hard on the people
0:28:03 > 0:28:06who think they can make a quick buck with their scams and cons.
0:28:06 > 0:28:08But the fraudsters need to think again.
0:28:08 > 0:28:12There's more of them than ever before being caught in the act
0:28:12 > 0:28:15and Claimed and Shamed.