Group faces jail time and community service
Eight men who plotted to make £500,000 out of bogus motor insurance claims have been sentenced after their stories fell apart under the scrutiny of Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (IFED).
The men devised a list of events that led to a ‘crash’ before an investigation by IFED exposed their fraud.
Brian Williams, Michael Lee, Jon-Paul Realey, David Thompson, Robert Davies and three other men admitted making up the ‘accident’ and then submitting bogus claims to LV=. Williams and Lee were jailed while Realey, Thompson and Davies received suspended jail terms.
The fraud started when Williams reported that in January 2010 he was driving his Vauxhall Vectra with three passengers in the car when he skidded and crashed into a BMW X5.
Following the ‘crash’ the men submitted claims for whiplash, written off cars, replacement hire car recovery fees and other losses.
But further investigation by IFED revealed the story had been completely fabricated.
IFED deputy head DI Dominic Parkin said: “These eight men thought they could take LV= for a ride by completely making up a two-car smash on a Merseyside Road and then submitting huge claims for their supposed injuries, funds for two new cars and expenses from the ‘accident’.
“However, their story soon fell apart when put under the microscope, with the end result being two of them are now behind bars and the other six now have a criminal record. What may have seemed a bright idea at the time will now cast a shadow on all their lives for years to come.”
Join the debate at our Insurance Times Fraud Forum by clicking here.
No comments yet