THE recession has sparked a big jump in the number of fraudulent insurance claims, industry data suggests.
A total of 107,200 claims, worth £730m, were found to be false last year, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) said.
The number of claims was up 17%, with their value soaring more than 30% compared to the previous year’s sum of £560m.
One false claim came from a motorist who reported a stolen car, only to admit later he had pushed the vehicle over a cliff. The claimant planned to use the pay-out to clear debts, the ABI said.
A survey carried out for the trade body also found that a fifth of people would not rule out making a fraudulent claim in the future.
The ABI said the figures showed that fraud “thrives” during an economic downturn.
