Car insurance fraud '£5m a week'
BBC News / 3rd July 2008
Insurers uncovered £5m a week of fraudulent motor insurance claims, according to the industry body.

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) says 240,000 claims worth £260m were found to be dishonest last year.

They included one driver who pushed his vehicle off a cliff and then said it had been stolen.

Fraudulent claims led to honest motorists having to pay an extra £40 a year on average on their premiums, the ABI said.

It added that the number of dishonest motor claims had risen by 70% over the past three years.

"Insurance fraud is no victimless crime. Honest motorists pay through higher insurance premiums," said Nick Starling, the ABI's director of general insurance and health.

"This is why insurers are ramping up their crackdown to weed out the cheats.

"Anyone committing insurance fraud is more likely to get caught, risks a criminal record, and will find future insurance and credit harder to obtain and more expensive."