Fake degrees in the fight against fraud

Students at the University of Manchester were handed free degree certificates today, but closer inspection revealed they were from the ‘School of Hard Knocks’.

The move was part of a ghost broking awareness campaign run by Crimestoppers, the Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB) and the Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (IFED) with the message: “If it’s too good to be true, it probably is.”

IFED deputy head DI Dominic Parkin said: “Ghost broking is a nationwide problem which is now being met by a national law enforcement response. But making arrests and securing convictions is one piece of the puzzle – raising public awareness to prevent the fraudsters from duping young drivers is equally important.

“The stunt is designed to grab university students’ attention and quickly inform them about the issue. In doing this we will make life much more difficult for the fraudsters and easier for the driving public.”

And those running the campaign, which also features this animated video, are hopeful that stunts such as these will help raise awareness of ghost broking and prevent more youngsters falling prey to the conmen.

IFB director Ben Fletcher said: “We have enjoyed considerable success working with the police to cut these scams off at source and will continue to identify and pursue fraudsters. This stunt is about reducing the market for these fraudsters to operate in, and emphasises how important it is that drivers shopping for insurance online, or through other means, question what they are being offered to ensure they get a real deal.”