Aviva has saved £120 million in bogus payouts after uncovering more than 9,250 instances of insurance fraud in 2022.
According to Aviva, which investigated over 19,000 claims for fraud last year, there was a 22% increase in fraudulent repair claims during the period while the number of home insurance frauds it detected rose by 18%.
Examples of the failed attempts included the use of an online image of an OMEGA De Ville Prestige black dial watch, the supposed involvement of a six-year-old ‘driver’, and the withdrawal of an unsupported claim that featured an engagement ring that was initially reported as lost but was allegedly found at sea and was supposedly returned by tracking down its owner on social media.
“While some of the fraudulent claims we detected may seem laughable, insurance fraud is no laughing matter,” head of claims counter-fraud Pete Ward said in an emailed release. “We have more than 10,000 claims currently under investigation and are committed to tackling fraud.
“Aviva is here to pay genuine claims quickly, but we won’t pay fraudulent claims. We want to help our customers when they need us, and we are committed to ensuring that the cost of insurance fraud is not passed on to our genuine customers.”
Ward added: “Pursuing a fraudulent claim is a very serious matter, and there can be many consequences for the individual. It can potentially result in the individual’s name being added to the Insurance Fraud Register, an industry-wide database of known fraudsters.
“The register is used by insurers when making underwriting decisions and assessing claims, which means inclusion on this list can impact future insurance applications, credit rating, and mortgage applications.”
Aviva, which has deployed new counter-fraud technology solutions, noted that motor bodily injury fraud accounted for 48% of all fraudulent claims it received in 2022.
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