Three fraudsters in two separate cases were caught red-handed by
AXA Insurance after falsely claiming that they had been the victims of armed robbery.
Paul and Zoe Sizurk, of Leek, Staffordshire, claimed to have been burgled at knifepoint in their home.
The couple said they were held hostage as their home was ransacked by balaclava-clad thieves who seized jewellery, cash and other items to the value of more than £17,000.
However, eagle-eyed loss adjusters for AXA later saw Zoe Sizurk wearing items of jewellery that the couple claimed had been stolen.
The Sizurks pled guilty to fraud on 13 October at Newcastle Under Lime Magistrates Court and are currently awaiting sentencing at Stoke on Trent Crown Court.
In a separate case, a man claimed to have been robbed at gunpoint while on holiday in Nigeria.
Peter Kama of London said that he was robbed in June this year, alleging that a number of high value items had been taken including cash, a designer watch, two smartphones and a diamond ring totalling more than £3,000.
Kama proved his claims to be false when he was asked for proof of ownership and sent photos which showed a newspaper with a date visible that was after the date that Kama claimed the robbery took place.
AXA refused the claim and referred the case to the Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department arm of the City of London Police, who found most of the items in Kama’s home.
He later received a police caution in October.
Sean Walkden, head of home claims at AXA Insurance said that the cases highlight the lengths to which some people will go to defraud their insurer.
“While organised fraud poses a serious problem, these incidents highlight why it is important to take a strong line where we have any evidence of fraudulent behaviour,” he said.
“We commend the police and our loss adjuster partners for helping us to catch these fraudsters and send out the strong message that we will not tolerate fraud.”
