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Designers may be able to envision things that the average person cannot – but it seems that coming up with the perfect insurance fraud plan is not among their attributes.
At least that is the case for Alison Ntim, 23, of Archway – who has seen her insurance scam foiled in court and has now been sentenced to suspended jail time.
According to an Evening Standard report, Ntim made £14,000 worth of bogus insurance claims by pretending that valuables had gone missing during a university study trip to Venice. Originally, she filed a legitimate claim for a lost iPhone5 on the travel insurance policy held by London Metropolitan University – but she didn’t stop there. She instead used another student’s details for one bogus claim and then invented five others to further the efforts.
In total, the report outlined that Ntim attempted to reclaim £14,090 for lost items ranging from an iPhone 6 to a laptop, Apple MacBook Pro, a Brietling watch and an iPad Pro. She actually received payouts on half of the items before insurers raised their eyebrows and contacted the police – it was subsequently discovered that five of the supposed “students” hadn’t even attended the three-day trip.
In an attempt to fool the insurers, Ntim has typed out the claims so her handwriting would not be recognised – however, she had used her own bank details and address for the claims. She also sent a copy of her own boarding pass as proof of the trip, as well as letters to the airline claiming lost luggage.
Ntim reportedly admitted the offences last year and has now been sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for 18 months – she has been ordered to carry out 150 hours of community service and attend a 15-day rehabilitation course.
