The ICC telematics device enabled investigators to assess the low speed collision between a flatbed lorry and the vehicle fitted with the technology and determine that, due to the difference in size and weight of the vehicles, the claimed injuries were completely implausible.
According to In-Car Cleverness, the case further underlines the role telematics can play in reducing fraud, helping insurance companies to prevent unjustified insurance payouts and offer affordable premiums.
In this case, three claimants overstated the extent of the incident, leading to the £54,000 demand which Aviva insurance will have had the Asset Protection Unit (APU), who investigated the incident, not intervened.
Personal injury claims have soared in the last decade, costing motorists millions in increased insurance costs. There are, on average, 380 fraudulent claims made to insurance companies daily. False whiplash claims alone cost the motor industry at least £1 billion each year, but APU has played a key role in bringing fraudsters to justice.
‘Fraudulent personal injury claims add millions to the cost of the nation’s insurance premiums. Many fraudsters prey upon vulnerable motorists in premeditated attempts to fleece them and their insurance firm out of thousands of pounds but others are simply opportunistic,’ said Neil Thomas, director of investigative services at APU.
‘Whenever we can help insurers and the Police to reduce dishonest claims, we’ll do all we can – ultimately it benefits law-abiding motorists,’ he added.
APU has been instrumental in the fight against criminals attempting to defraud motorists and insurance companies, particularly ‘crash for cash’ fraudsters. Its team of private investigators recently identified the emergence of “flash for cash”, which is the latest tactic criminals are using to defraud innocent motorists and insurers.