Insurance Fraud **Long Post**

[richtung]

Hi guys,

Just seen a very interesting thread posted on another forum about insurance scammers and fraudulent claims.
Its a very interesting and informative insight by an ex copper who worked as private investigator.

I will copy and paste the post here but the original thread can be found here: http://www.arrse.co.uk/intelligence-cell/179927-insurance-fraud.html

So, make a brew and get ready to learn how these scams work and how not to be a victim of one:

Motor Insurance Fraud. Part 1

These individual claims can involve tens of thousands of ££s and are very rarely dealt with promptly. Third Party drivers and passengers (The ones in the motor vehicle that was alleged to have been hit) often exaggerate the circumstances of the collision, as the pay-out for a simple (and very difficult for a Doctor to substantiate) whiplash injury was between £1000 and £1500 per person.

My background.

After taking early retirement as a Police Officer, I was engaged in various activities including Private Investigation work, and a number of years as a surveillance specialist working across The UK, Ireland and mainland Europe. In 2002 I joined, what is now the largest privately owned Investigation Company in the UK (over 300 employees) as a Field Investigator.

During my time with this Company I dealt with in excess of 4000 claims.

Disclaimer: I finished as a full time investigator on emigrating to Ireland in 2007, and apart from some ad-hoc work I’ve done for the same company over here, I am a little out of date with some facts and figures. However, be in no doubt that these practices are continuing, are probably a little more refined and the cost of your motor vehicle Insurance will continue to rise as a result.

My work as an Investigator.

At the time I joined the Company, there were only 12 of us covering the whole of the UK. We were all ex coppers with extensive investigative backgrounds, could work under pressure of deadlines and were instructed by the biggest Insurance Companies, all of whom are household names.

Based in Reading and working from home with an office set up by the company, I was expected to carry out four jobs a day, 6 days a week. Although this doesn’t sound exhaustive, my area of responsibility was rather large. (The M4 Corridor from Swindon to its end in West London. To the South, I covered the coast between Poole and Worthing, and to the North, all areas between Oxford and Watford.)

Given that a straightforward interview, by appointment, at a Third Parties home would take about two hours, the writing up of that claim would take another two hours and the size of the area I had to cover, it is no wonder that I was travelling over 50k miles a year and often working 14 hours a day.

What’s it all about?

There is a basic premise, that the driver of a vehicle who runs into the back of another vehicle, and thereby causing a collision is the one at fault.

This is largely true, given that a driver should always leave enough space between his vehicle and the one in front. Regardless of road conditions and speed, if a collision occurs, there was clearly not enough space in which to stop, ergo travelling too close.

During the 1980’s and into the 1990’s Insurance companies would use this premise as a benchmark when filtering out Insurance claims. When in doubt, they would go for the well-known 50/50 option, whereby blame was attributed to both parties, a tactic that saves an Insurer a lot of grief, and adding to the misery and grief of a truly innocent motorist. Of course that still happens today.

Given the above, and it was no secret, some unscrupulous individuals decided to take full advantage of this system, and started to exaggerate their Third Party claims in the event of a legitimate accident. Just think of £1000 in your bank account and a month off work? Cheers easy.

It was only a matter of time before this scam (for scam, read fraudulent activity) was picked up by those with a more commercial outlook, who then came onto the scene.

The Deliberate and Staged accident baby was then born.

Most of those who work in the industry believe that it all started in Bradford, and as word spread it embraced other parts of the country. At first these claims were dealt with as they always had been, then a rather worrying pattern began to emerge.

Insurance claims Managers are not idiots, and they now have a vast array of software available to them, which shows accident trends. Not only in the type of accidents, but the type of people involved, what their occupations are, their ethnic backgrounds, previous claims in other parts of the Insurance industry and what part of the country they live in. A lot of this information is regularly used by the underwriters when calculating a new Insurance proposal.

The software showed comprehensively that suspicious accidents nearly always involved young Asian drivers, that the Third Party vehicle was invariably an older registration hatchback with multiple occupants, the accidents were occurring at exactly the same type of road junctions, the First Party Insured was white, usually female, young and travelling alone, or the driver of a well-known (and therefore bound to be fully insured) Commercial vehicle and that the Police were never called to the scene, yet multiple injury claims were being submitted. (Police are supposed to attend all traffic accidents involving an injury or an allegation of dangerous/careless driving, and in any case such an accident is to be reported as soon as is practicable and in any case within 24 hours)

Although there has always been a small number of Motor Fraud Investigators, our ranks now increased.

In 2007 we were investigating fraudulent claims in Bradford, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Luton, West London and Norwich. Once a suspicious accident had been flagged by the Insurer, (and contrary to popular belief, they do speak to one another and share a huge database of information) an Investigation company would be tasked to investigate.

I mention the towns and cities above, as the accidents/offences in those places were prevalent, and it became obvious that gangs were involved, headed by a small team of taskmasters or as I call them here ‘Paymasters’. Deliberate accidents can occur anywhere, but these generally tend to be the copy-cat kids, and are rarely linked to the big players, in what is clearly, to mind anyway, organised crime.

Staged accidents are a different kettle of fish and I cover these a bit later.

Who is doing it?

I can only speak from my own company’s experience, and at the time I was working in the field. At no time during my 5 years (4000+ claims remember, and if you multiply that by 12 investigators you have in the region of 48,000 claims) did any of us ever investigate a staged or deliberate accident caused by a white British born individual. Fact.

Although some Eastern Europeans are involved in this criminal activity, they have a long way to go before they reach the levels of the Asians and Afghanis.

Yep. Afghanis. Although outnumbered by the Asian population, who rule the deliberate and staged accident roost in the rest of the country the Afghanis had West London sewn up. They were without doubt the masters of the game in London.

What other Agencies are involved?

Before I answer this, imagine a simple traffic accident.

Two vehicles are involved in a collision. Nobody appears to be injured, any damage is negligible and the law has been satisfied by way of the First Party Insured and the Third Party aggrieved exchanging details for the purposes of any future Insurance claim. Both vehicles drive away, Sorted. We have all probably been involved, or know someone involved in that scenario.

Now to answer the question above.

The same accident occurs, and within a couple of weeks a letter from a Solicitor lands on your doormat. You are stunned to read that the Solicitors clients are claiming for personal injury and loss of use of a motor vehicle. There is attached, an official looking form from an Accident Management Company, complete with the Third Parties details (There were four occupants, although you only ever saw two) and you are to inform your Insurers immediately copying them in to the letter received.

Huzzah! We are now travelling down a path which has kept me in milk and honey for a few years. Welcome to the busy life of Insurance fraud.

Revisit the simple accident scene above. Did you see the Third Party vehicle drive away? No of course not, you were happy to remove yourself from the scene. Who wouldn’t? You’ve just apparently rammed a car and are confronted with a couple of angry Asian lads, one of whom appeared to be shouting aggressively into a mobile phone. You’ve complied with the law, you have all the details you need on a scrap of paper kindly supplied by the Third Party driver, you are on your own, the light is poor and you are not Chuck Norris. Nobody will blame you. You were surprised as to how the accident occurred, but you have fallen into the mind-set of ‘the driver behind is to blame’ and you are a bit shook up.

But this is what has actually just happened.

The Third party driver has deliberately caused the accident. (Much more of how they do this comes later) You have been targeted. The Third party driver has blamed you for the accident and is aggressive. He knows you will leave the scene as soon as he has handed over his details and received yours in return.

Once you have driven off, he and his buddy (there are always two of them) will hang around the scene for a bit in the unlikely event of you returning to the scene, then drive off.

The Third party, let’s call him GGD for brevity, drives his old hatchback back to a yard on an anonymous industrial estate. A team of players then bring out BFO sledge hammers and start to exercise their muscles on the back of the vehicle.

GGD then jumps into his own vehicle, and drives to his paymaster. He collects £1000 cash which he splits with his buddy as he sees fit.

The paymaster then contacts his mate who owns an Accident Management Company. This bloke prints out a claim form with all the ‘accident’ details including a sketch map. The paymaster then contacts another buddy who owns a Vehicle Recovery Company. The bloke there prints out an invoice for the ‘recovery of a hatchback motor vehicle, sustaining heavy rear end damage after a collision.” A third call is made to yet another bloke, who owns the yard where the aforementioned hatchback now resembles a big pile of sh*te, and yet another invoice is generated for storage charges.

The following day, GGD and 3 other young lads take the day off work, and visit their GP (who may well be related to any of the parties thus far mentioned) and all are diagnosed with whiplash and signed off accordingly.

GGD is presented with a hire vehicle, courtesy of the Accident Management Company and spins around in this for about a month. (Of course he is ultra-careful that he is not involved in any type of accident.) He then pops into a Solicitors and the letter that dropped on your doormat is typed up.

GGD then pops over to his Uncle who owns a vehicle repair facility, and gets a quote for the repair to the smashed hatchback. (Oh it’s a right off. Never mind eh?) Regardless of the fact Insurance Companies want you to attend one of their (legitimate and registered) Accident Repair Centres; you are not duty bound to.

What is the cost so far?

Well, the storage charge for the hatchback was around £15 a day. The recovery fee will be about £200. The hire car will be around £400 a week, (the actual cost is nearer £200, but the Accident Management Company needs to make some sort of profit. Right?) The cost of the replacement for the ‘written off’ hatchback is usually around the £2k mark.

Ignore the Doctors fee and the Solicitors fee as only they will receive that money, you have about £4500 quid for the first month. Of course the claim for four cases of whiplash increase this sum to in excess of £10,500. GGD and his pals have been paid for this job, and therefore all the money paid out for a successful injury claim is given directly to the paymaster.

The four Afghani paymasters I dealt with in West London, were each putting out 5 cars a night, of which 3 were involved in deliberate accidents. That’s 12 accidents a night, 84 a week, generating a tax free shared weekly income of around £700, 000. Week in week out…It took a team of us over a year to crack this, with no Police help at all. Then they fled the country.

I’ll point out here that during many of my meetings with Insurers, they admitted they were shelling out about £15,000,000 (that’s million) a day (a fecking day!) in claims. You can now see why.

How do they get away with it?

Unlike white British born citizens, GGD and his mates have the use of many properly registered forenames and family names. With a bit of mix and match, it doesn’t stretch incredulity too much to realise that one person can become many.

The paymasters are not directly involved in any claim procedure and therefore are completely invisible.

The Accident Management companies are only relying on what the Third Party drivers are telling them.

It is difficult, although not impossible, to prove that the Vehicle Recovery Company didn’t attend a crash site.

The storage company does actually have a damaged vehicle in the yard.

Should I use Accident Management Company?

No. Why should you? You are properly insured and part of your premium goes towards sorting out Solicitors, hire vehicles, recovery and storage.

Have a good look out for these places when you are out and about. They are often small little shop fronts in Asian areas of town. And there one week and gone the next. There are so many small business premises changing hands, for charity shops and the like, a short term let is a business opportunity for the landlord.

You will not find these places in the Yellow Pages, and if you ever see a business card, it’s always a home-made job with a mobile phone number.

There are legitimate Accident Management Companies scattered around the UK, they even have a membership scheme (name escapes me) but when I was working at this, I believe it only had 25 members.

Is it true that these fraudsters have witnesses to a collision?

Yes. Deliberate accident sites are used on a regular basis (that’s one of the reasons we managed to obtain excellent surveillance film footage) and are pre planned. GGD has plenty of professional witness friends out there.

Next time you are out and about in town, check out how many vehicles you see sporting a small scrap of cloth. Usually red & green and hanging from the tow hitch, or attached to the vehicle aerial. These are the people who are willing to act as witnesses to a deliberate accident, and believe it or not are willing to be involved in a staged accident.

When I say staged, that’s exactly what it is. It is very unlikely to involve you, unless you are Asian, have mates who do this type of thing and own a multi occupancy vehicle. I mean, why claim for one case of whiplash when ten travelling in a Space Wagon does the job?

99% of the time the staged accidents vehicles have never physically met. They have never made contact in anyway; they were not at the time and place stated on a claim form. It is invariably stated that the ‘accident’ happened late at night and were always packed with woman and young children. (These type of claims were fairly easy to crack, as you will read later)

If you do see these vehicles, don’t do anything hasty, but try and obtain a discrete photograph if you can. The vehicles are not necessarily being driven by the person who wants to become involved.

I think that’s enough for now, Next episode will commence shortly, where I’ll cover the nuts and bolts of how these people arrange the accidents. How we catch them out and most importantly what you really must do at the scene of an accident.

[richtung]

Here is Part 2 Chaps:

Motor Insurance Fraud. Part 2
Staged vehicle accidents.

Mrs GGD (invariably a woman) sticks in a claim as the driver of a people carrier who rather unfortunately was hit by another people carrier.

Both vehicles were full and the joint claim involves 20 people.

Real case.

Mrs A, an Asian woman from West London started a claim for herself and her nine passengers, who had all suffered from whiplash. (Remember the pay-out for one case is between £1000 and £1500.) Each and every person in the vehicle had a signed Doctors certificate to this effect. Five of the passengers were under the age of three years old and were clearly not available for interview.

Mrs A was the Third Party driver, i.e. the aggrieved. The vehicle that ‘caused’ the accident was also a people carrier, and yep, you guessed it, was also driven by another Asian woman, and unbelievably, her vehicle also had nine passengers. Five of them were also below the age of interview.

So, two Insurance Companies are now faced with multiple Personal Injury claims totalling around £30,000, and this does not include the recovery, the repair, the hire car and any other assorted costs that I have listed in part 1 of this report. Realistically there is about £50,000 for grabs. Once again…Cheers easy.

The ‘accident’ occurred late at night, there were no independent witnesses.

Should the Insurers pay out? They would have done 15 years ago on a 50/50 basis, but the new flagging software shouted. “Get Arte on the case.”

I was tasked by the Insurance companies to look into this. And rightly so. I visited the alleged scene and took photographs. I spoke to a couple of nearby residents (and took sworn statements)

The First Party Insured was spoken to, as was the Third Part aggrieved, and statements (official documents that are recognised in a court of law) were obtained, and thereby the names of all those involved were confirmed as matching the medical records of those involved claiming personal injury.

After interviewing ten of those involved, (five were at the offices of a Solicitor) it was obvious to a five year old, that the whole sorry story was bollocks.

I looked at and photographed both vehicles. (No damage to either) I established that the First Party Insured was known to the Third Party aggrieved through basic phone linking (see attached chart) and the claim was doomed from then on in.

How was this done?

Without fail, those that commit staged or deliberate accidents speak to each other. They chat about times and dates, who was in the vehicle and where it occurred. They stick to the concocted story. Thick and thin. Well, it works for captured spies in WW2 films, so why won’t it work for us? They say.

Unfortunately for a claimant, I have little interest in the actual collision. I do however have a huge interest in what they have failed to talk about.

Why were they in the vehicle? Where had they been? Where were they going? Who sat where? Who had a child in their lap? What was the weather like?

Ten people independently witnessing a fight will give ten differing views. We know that. But ten friends travelling in a minibus who are involved in a genuine serious traffic accident, with their kids, will recall with devastating accuracy, as to why they were in a vehicle at that time. Where they had been and where they were going. And there is usually corroborating evidence from a venue manager at the end of a phone.

Ten liars will give differing accounts. Fully expecting to be interviewed about the actual ‘crash’ the bluster and bollox soon becomes clear, and when presented with phone link evidence, i.e. We can prove that both parties have phoned each other, and have attended each other’s birthdays and weddings (thank you local press) the claim is always retracted. Idiots.

But how many escape the net? It’s rife. It’s unbelievable. It’s happening right now and these people are housewives, not professional criminals. Belief can sometime be beggared.

The above was just one case, a mild diversion for me, a chance to interview a bit of skirt at her home over a cup of tea, as opposed to professional chancer in his Solicitors office. In the scheme of things, staged accidents meant nothing. As I stated in part 1 of this report, it is highly unlikely that you will be involved in this type of fraud.

Deliberate accidents.

This is far more serious, and you are more likely to become a victim of this fraudulent activity, popularly known in the press as “Crash for Cash” or “Slam Ons.”

Who does it?

As I explained in part one of this report, it is young Asian males. It is an extremely dangerous way to make a couple of hundred quid, and some have died as a result. Would you deliberately slam on your brakes in front of a Marks & Spencers articulated wagon, whilst driving a beat up hatchback, in the full knowledge that you are going to be rammed from behind? Erm…thought not.

It has a lot to do with the differing qualities of life between one brought up by Western ideals, and those brought up in a (how do I put this?) less than favourable attitude to the taking of a human life.

Umm. I am in no way a psychiatrist or armchair psychologist but in all the crazy sh*te me and my buddies have done whilst serving (and some of you have no doubt surpassed that, regardless of the fact I was a full on mental Recy Mech) we would not have even contemplated organising a ‘slam on’ with an artic.

But as always, poverty, coercion and debt fly to the kerb when presented with a chance to redeem these factors, and so it goes on. Better than pimping? Right?

Unavoidable accident.

You are alone in your vehicle, females in a small sized car, definitely not a big 4x4, or a wagon driver for a large, well known company. The reason women in large 4x4's are rarely targeted is because the fraudsters believe that a woman driving such a vehicle could well panic, and in doing so, could accelerate over the top of the little hatchback, oops, not in the plan. The big artics are generally driven by professional drivers, these people do not panic when trying to avoid or lesson the impact of an impending collision, and of course they will be fully insured.

It is early evening or very early in the morning, you are approaching a roundabout after a long stretch of dual carriageway. You are alert and aware of your surroundings.

You notice in your rear view mirror that that two vehicles are in lane two and catching you up, not a problem though, there is 200 yards before the roundabout and you are slowing down.

The leading vehicle you noticed moments earlier overtakes you and pulls gently in front of you. No problem, you’ve still got 100 yards to the roundabout. You idly notice it’s an old reg hatchback.

The second vehicle overtakes you and the hatchback, you have no recollection of this vehicle afterwards, but you can state adamantly (Adam Ant? Remember him?) that the driver of that vehicle was driving like a twat and he/she was the cause of present plight.

The second vehicle, after cutting in violently in front of the hatch back, appears to have come to a complete stop for no reason. There is definitely no vehicles coming from the right. The hatchback in front of you is braking hard.

You cannot recall seeing any illuminated brake lights from either vehicle.

The second vehicle then pulls away at the roundabout as you realise the hatchback is still braking, nearly stationary. For no reason!

You pile on the brakes, but too late. BANG! A collision has just occurred and you are the following vehicle. sh*t. You hope the people in the hatchback are OK, and briefly wonder why there is no sign of the utter wanker in the second overtaking vehicle that hasn’t stopped. Surely the driver must have realised that an accident was inevitable with that standard of driving?

The driver of the hatchback appears OK. He walks toward you and you sign to him to move his vehicle to the side of the road.

You are both parked up safely, and you get out of your vehicle. The other driver remonstrates with you and you notice he is a young Asian male. His passenger is on the grass kerb and yelling into a mobile phone, he is speaking a language you do not understand.

The Third Party driver (The guy you just rammed) is gobbing off about the mysterious vehicle, obviously driven by a looney that caused him to brake suddenly. You agree. The idiot who carved you both up should be banned. And where are the fecking Police when you need them?

The Asian driver hands you a scrap of paper with his address, phone number and Insurance details on it. sh*t how did that happen so fast? You haven’t even got a pen and paper, let alone your Insurance details.

You rummage around your glove box, find and rip off a blank section of a 3 year old road map that you were going to replace anyway, borrow a pen, and scribble your details down.

After handing over the paperwork you ensure that the driver and his passenger are not hurt in any way. Christ that’s a relief…It could have been a lot worse…You both curse the utter wanker who caused this, and you drive off.

You arrive home, tell the missus that sh*t happens, and you’ll check out the wagon/car in the morning and phone your broker.

What has actually happened.

I stated in part one, that two people are always involved as the aggrieved Third Party vehicle occupants. This is not quite true… There is always a second vehicle involved. The second vehicle is only seen briefly by the First Party Insured (You) and dismissed after a brief conversation with the driver of the vehicle you have just rear ended.

But unknown to you. The mysterious second vehicle is in constant contact with the hatchback driver. They are a team.

I guarantee that if the accident happened before a roundabout on a dual carriageway that the previous roundabout was about a mile or so before.

Your vehicle was targeted, and both offending vehicles would have been driving very hard in order to catch you out. They are good. They practise.

The hatchback driver pulls in front of you in good time (ish) the second vehicle appears to be reckless and seems to have caused the collision and is never seen again. (By you)

Wrong. Welcome to the world of Insurance fraud.

Whilst you are relating the sorry tale to your better half, GGD and his mate are busy earning a good night’s wage. See part one for details of what they are up to, even before you get your head down for a fitful kip.

Oh, nearly forgot, you’re not expecting a Solicitors letter are you? One that claims massive damage to the hatchback, personal injury to four (or more) people and a myriad of other bills from companies you’ve never heard of. Don’t worry, it’s in the post.

This is an example of a simple ‘slam on’ deliberate accident. There are variations but that is the basic principle. At first glance there is very little you can do.

So what can I do?

There is no way I want to teach my Granny how to suck an egg. Most of us are familiar with the niceties of the Highway Code, our Insurers instructions about denying responsibility and snapping off a few pics of the front of our motor after an accident.

Woo hoo.

To be honest, I shouldn’t have said that. (woo hoo) I was the same as you until I joined the company that I did.

This is what you do if the circumstances above are in any way similar to what I describe.

Stay calm. There is no way on this planet, that the Third Party driver (the one you have allegedly hit) will want a scene. The last person he wants to see is a copper. Trust me.

Ignore the shouty bloke on the verge, he is just a distraction. If his first reaction to being shunted at speed in a traffic accident, is to start yelling Farsi into a phone, he is hardly seriously injured is he?

Certainly, speak to the driver and (as your Insurer states) deny responsibility as he will. Chat about the missing ‘loony’ driver (but you will get no information from him) and politely agree that it was probably his/her fault.

Grab your camera (c’mon every bloody phone has a camera fitted) and start taking some snaps.

You need to photograph the front of your vehicle and the rear of his. You walk to the front of his vehicle and take some more. (Sometimes the index numbers do not match. Sometimes there are none at all.) Photograph the driver of the vehicle and his passenger. Take a snapshot of the rear passenger seat (no passengers?) and a couple of pics of the road and general area.

This all sounds a bit easy, but is sometimes difficult to click the driver and front seat passenger. I understand that, but give it a go. You do not need a full on professional portrait job, pretend to concentrate on the vehicles but angle the camera slightly. It is important. The actual driver is not necessarily the one who would appear in court.

All this camera activity will undoubtedly scare the Third Party driver, but so what? He isn’t going to call Babylon any time soon is he? And it may even negate that Solicitors letter dropping on your mat. (He will have to explain his actions to his paymaster, but hey ho, live to crash another day.) If in any doubt at all, call the Police, and in the presence and hearing of the Third Party make an allegation of dangerous driving, or the fact you feel threatened, fall on the floor and feign injury if you are an Oscar seeking type of person, then lock yourself in your motor (for effect) but do NOT mention Insurance fraud, cash for crash, slam ons or any other Insurance scam.

Stay on the scene, make up any old excuse, but let the Third Party drive away before you do. And photograph (video?) it. (Recall if you will, the Vehicle Recovery scam)

Remember the scrap of paper he gave you? The one with his details on it? The one he produced so quickly? Have a close look. I guarantee that the handwritten details thereon will be totally different from the time and date.

That scrap of paper was pre-written by the paymaster. All that needs to be done by the driver is to date and time it.

It’s known as a ‘script’ and is crucial evidence. Do not copy it and bin the original. Insurance companies have access to handwriting experts, and there is an ever growing database of this type of information.

Do not be tempted to contact the Accident Management Company when their card pops through your letter box. Tell your Insurance company/Broker ASAP that you believe you are the victim of a Slam On. Let them deal with it.

What happens if I am being interviewed?

You will receive notification from your Insurer, that an assessor will be making contact with you in relation to a recent accident, and they may want to take a statement.

Don’t panic. You have done nothing wrong and this is a daily occurrence for the Insurer. You will receive a telephone call from someone who will style himself as an assessor, indeed, this will be borne out with the business card that is proffered to you once you have agreed a time and place for the interview.

There are of course genuine assessors, these are people who are only interested in the damage to your vehicle. They very rarely interview people, and would never ask to see your driving licence.

If you have been involved in a collision that I’ve described above, the person who is interviewing will be a Fraud Investigator (regardless what it says on his card) and he will (if you are involved in anything like the above accident scenario) be on your side.

Have to hand, your Insurance Policy, your vehicle Log book and both parts of your driving licence.

The assessor *cough* will take two statements from you, the first is called an Indemnity Statement. This covers your licence and vehicle details, any previous claims, (for whatever reason) your driving history and stuff like that. All factual, provable evidence.

The second statement is an account of what occurred at the accident site. You will be expected to be accurate, and this is the time you can produce your photographs and the all important ‘script’ handed to you by the Third Party driver.

Your statement will be written, (the posh ones use a laptop and type it, then print it out) by the *cough* assessor and you will be asked to read it, agree with it and then sign it.

These statements are binding in every type of UK court and you can perjure yourself if you state a falsehood. This will all be explained. Any objects you give to the interviewer will be noted in your statement as an exhibit and clearly marked as such.

The process will take about 2 hours and you may be asked to sign a couple of bits of paper known as Mandates. This allows the Insurer to get any Police reports (should there be any) and to confirm your licence details with the DVLA.

How do you catch the feckers?

As with the interview noted above, a time and date is agreed with the Third Party Driver, This is in accordance with their Insurance Policy Contract. (Read the small print!)

I mentioned earlier, the fact that the individuals involved in motor vehicle Insurance fraud will talk to each other. They will have every (false) detail about the crash buttoned down fast, and although they hate being interviewed, detest the law and really, REALLY do not want me or my ilk sitting on their sofa, they are the first ones to bring out the hot brew and a few scones. (None of us touch it…Would you?)

Now, having spoken to the First Party Insured and having visited and photographed the scene. Having seen the damage to all the vehicles involved and having a massive loathing and bias against GGD and his lowlife mates, I’ve already formed an opinion before I knock on his loathsome door. Because I was a professional…

I’d be scarcely interested in the actual crash, glossing over it in fact, lulling GGD into a warm feeling of security, I am an assessor after all, it states that on my business card doesn’t it?

No, I am interested in why he was on the road at that time, where had he been? Where was he going? At the end of the day most people get into a motor vehicle to go to a specific destination.

If he says he was out shopping, fair enough. But what did he buy? Can I see it? Are there receipts?

Oh, you were visiting your sick Grandma. Fair doos…What is her name? Where does she live? What is wrong with her? What is the name of her Doctor? Yes I am allowed to ask. Yes I will be talking to her Doctor. Why did you take 3 of your mates? Who were they anyway? Where do they live? Yes I will be talking to them.

Jeez, that is a smart satnav. I'm seizing that mate. (No authority at all, but hey ho, worth a spin.)

I will produce maps (thank you Google) and ask as to why the route he has stated he took to Grandmas (under oath) and back is complete and utter bollox.

I’ll have a detailed chat about the Accident Management Company he instructed, and why they are no longer trading. (They are, but under a different name in a different part of town)

I have even managed to ‘turn’ some of these fraudsters, as have my colleagues, and not because we are brilliant investigators, but because they are generally the lower end of the food chain, do not want to go to prison (as if…) and watch too many daytime TV Cop shows where supergrasses are given a new identity. (I am not kidding here)

I guarantee, that the plan that these creatures made up will rapidly fall apart.

And?

So, after all that, I type up my report, get it signed off by the head shed and crack on with the next case. I rarely got to hear about what happens next, although it is highly unlikely a Third Party claim will be paid out after my recommendations.

In five years (4000+ jobs) I only got warned for court once. (The Afghanis boys in London.) None of my colleagues went to court either and despite our willingness to provide tons of evidence to HM Constabulary, it was rarely taken up.

Put it this way, if a MetPol Detective Chief Inspector and his team worked for a year and cracked a fraud case, involving a gang of organised criminals who were raking in £700,000 a week to the detriment of the Community, the driver on the road, the Exchequer and our friends in Custom and Excise. He’d get a promotion and a fecking medal.

We never even once made one line in the local paper.

Insurance companies were paying out £15 million a day (a day!) in 2007. Do the maths.

Insurance fraud is exactly what it says on the tin. Fraud. You can go to prison for 10 years. It is a criminal offence and as such should surely have a Police interest. No?

Some scanned pics:


A typical intel (i2) sheet depicting telephone and vehicle links between all parties.


A sketch drawing by the Third Party of a slam on in London. Note the bollocky inaccuracy of it all.


An actual Third Party 'Script.' Note the difference in the handwriting, and although difficult to see here, a different colour! The driver only needs to add the time and date as it is pre-written by his paymaster. The Insurance details were carried in the vehicle and written on the reverse. As you do.

Although nearly every single case I investigated involved young Asian men, (there was a handful of Eastern Europeans) this does NOT mean that that the majority of young Asian men are involved in this appalling activity.

Decent, hard working Asian men have simple (and sometimes horrendous) Road Traffic Accidents whilst driving around the UK, the same as every other driver.

There is a world apart from a genuine accident and a deliberately caused one. The signs are there.

[ConeKiller]

I work for one of the major insurers and this is my job, investigating insurance fraud, write ups like this are great, gives people the insite to what really goes on.

keeps me in a job!!

[stealthwolf]

I knew stuff like this was going on but didn't know about the investigation side of things.

[tony_danza]

Whilst a very interesting read, the ever-so-slightly-racist subtext displeases me. Almost reads like BNP propaganda.

[stealthwolf]

If 90% of a crime is committed by a particular racial group, is it racist to state so? The thought of considering all people of that race group as criminals could be seen as being racist, but stating fact IMO isn't.

[RedRobin]

I knew stuff like this was going on but didn't know about the investigation side of things.

....As an Asian from Birmingham, are you worried about this?  

[RedRobin]

Whilst a very interesting read, the ever-so-slightly-racist subtext displeases me. Almost reads like BNP propaganda.

....I didn't think as far as BNP but the racist word did cross my mind too when I first read it.

However, as stealthwolf points out, it's a cold statistical fact being presented and no more. That's the trouble with all this political correctness crap - You can't say or think anything without fear of authority coming down on you.

[tony_danza]

If 90% of a crime is committed by a particular racial group, is it racist to state so? The thought of considering all people of that race group as criminals could be seen as being racist, but stating fact IMO isn't.

I found the whole tone of the article anti-everyone who isn't white and British. I'm not getting all PC and fluffy about it, I just feel that's how it has been written - there's no data, sources or cold statistical fact to support any of his claims, we're just expected to believe it because he's apparently a professional giving us a secret insight into his world.

This particular line interests me:

I can only speak from my own company’s experience, and at the time I was working in the field. At no time during my 5 years (4000+ claims remember, and if you multiply that by 12 investigators you have in the region of 48,000 claims) did any of us ever investigate a staged or deliberate accident caused by a white British born individual. Fact.

I'd call bullsh*t on that statement.

Unlike white British born citizens, GGD and his mates have the use of many properly registered forenames and family names. With a bit of mix and match, it doesn’t stretch incredulity too much to realise that one person can become many.

Again, I think you'll find that white British people are perfectly adept at multiple identity and it's use in crime.

[Tamiyoman]

I am glad Insurance companies are getting more investigators as hopefully this will mean less scam payouts and less hiking up insurance premiums.

Can these scammers not also be blacklisted from getting car insurance again (Thus removing them from the paymasters staff) at least with the last name they used anyway!,

[Phil Miller]

f*ck me, and its wankers like this that put our insurance up

[RedRobin]

If 90% of a crime is committed by a particular racial group, is it racist to state so? The thought of considering all people of that race group as criminals could be seen as being racist, but stating fact IMO isn't.

I found the whole tone of the article anti-everyone who isn't white and British. I'm not getting all PC and fluffy about it, I just feel that's how it has been written - there's no data, sources or cold statistical fact to support any of his claims, we're just expected to believe it because he's apparently a professional giving us a secret insight into his world.

This particular line interests me:

I can only speak from my own company’s experience, and at the time I was working in the field. At no time during my 5 years (4000+ claims remember, and if you multiply that by 12 investigators you have in the region of 48,000 claims) did any of us ever investigate a staged or deliberate accident caused by a white British born individual. Fact.

I'd call bullsh*t on that statement.

....I see your point, Mike. Yes, it did seem there were strong undertones until I read a specific reference late in his written piece - But was it a cover-your-arse caveat or genuine? I don't think we can really know for certain at the moment and your suggestion of supporting info would have helped. Jury still out?

[Tamiyoman]

If 90% of a crime is committed by a particular racial group, is it racist to state so? The thought of considering all people of that race group as criminals could be seen as being racist, but stating fact IMO isn't.

 

Its not racist to point out 90% of a particular crime is commited by certain ethnic groups, if its a statistical fact then its not racist, it was on TV (watchdog or somrthing like that) a while back and they were investigating this and it was asian males and also Eastern European and even filmed them doing it, similar thing 2 in car on video yet claim for 5 whiplash claims arrived at solicitors  

[stealthwolf]

....As an Asian from Birmingham, are you worried about this?  

As a young Asian male in a hatchback, is it me who should be worried? Or should it be you RR, when you spot me in front of you!  

[Tamiyoman]

....As an Asian from Birmingham, are you worried about this?  

As a young Asian male in a hatchback, is it me who should be worried? Or should it be you RR, when you spot me behind you!