Fraud
Ghost broker sentenced
A ghost broker has been sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment, suspended for 12 months with a requirement to complete 150 hours of unpaid work, after selling two fraudulent motor insurance policies to unsuspecting members of the public.
Zurich FOIs reveal workplace theft declining
A total of 4,562 workers were caught stealing from their workplace in the last year, data released by Zurich UK has revealed.
City of London Police leads nationwide crackdown on ghost broking
The City of London Police’s Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department has led a nationwide period of action targeting ghost brokers in a coordinated crackdown on insurance fraud.
IFB warns on sharp rise in ghost brokers
The Insurance Fraud Bureau has launched a national campaign with the Association of British Insurers and City of London Police to raise awareness of the dangers of ghost broking with the fraud growing by over 50% in two years.
Q&A: Criterion managing director Helena Evans
Loss-adjusting boss Helena Evans outlines the latest trends her firm is seeing among high-net-worth customers, assesses the continued prevalence of underinsurance, and suggests how brokers can help combat fraud.
Start-up broker to launch in Q3 targeting motor
Pizza, a start-up insurance broker, is set for its consumer launch in the third quarter of 2025.
Ghost broker jailed for fake car insurance fraud
A man has been jailed for illegally advertising his services as an insurance broker on Instagram.
Aviva reports 18% increase in ghost broking frauds in 2024
Aviva detected an 18% increase in ghost-brokered policies and linked an additional 8,600 cases to open investigations into known ghost broking cases in 2024.
Experts hail proportionate regulation in FCA five-year strategy
The Financial Conduct Authority’s strategic plan for 2025-2030 is “expansive and broad”, but the initial impression is positive, “particularly on the noises the FCA has made around proportionate regulation”, according to Jill Hambley, managing director…
Zurich fraud detection rises to £94m
Zurich UK uncovered £94.79m of fraudulent claims in 2024, around £260,000 per day.
Two fraudsters ordered to pay back £376,000 after ghost broking scam
A court has granted confiscation orders against two men who were convicted for their roles in a car insurance ghost broking scheme.
Social media ghost broking frauds doubled in 2024
Action Fraud received 179 reports of social media car insurance scams in 2024, double as many as the year before.
Ghost broking cases jump nearly a quarter at Action Fraud in 2024
Action Fraud received 817 reports of ghost broking in 2024, a 24% increase on the previous year, the organisation has confirmed.
6% of FCA financial promotions cases caused by GI & Protection
The Financial Conduct Authority has revealed the general insurance and protection sector accounted for 6% of its workload in the final quarter of last year against firms breaching financial promotion rules.
FCA actions against misleading financial adverts nearly doubles in 2024
The Financial Conduct Authority intervened to get nearly 20,000 financial promotions withdrawn or amended in 2024, almost double the amount compared to 2023.
Allianz UK reveals detected fraud up 10% to £157m
Allianz UK has confirmed it uncovered 33,027 instances of insurance fraud worth a total of £157.24m in 2024, up 10% on 2023.
Ecclesiastical crackdown uncovers more than £4m in fraud
Ecclesiastical uncovered more than £4m in fraudulent claims last year, almost £1m more than in 2023, in an ongoing crackdown.
IFB launches campaign to tackle paid-ad spoofing scams
The Insurance Fraud Bureau has launched a national campaign aimed at the multi-million pound problem of paid-ad spoofing claims scams, as it revealed that victims could be facing up to £13,000 in unsolicited fees.
Ex-Criterion loss adjuster jailed for over four years for claims fraud
A loss adjuster who abused his position by submitting a series of fake insurance claims worth over £160,000, including using his wife’s name and that of his deceased father-in-law, has been jailed.
Review of the Year 2024: Ageas’ Middle, Linklater, Clarke and Beckett
The senior Ageas team wish the term ghost broking is never uttered again, hope for a sustainable ecosystem for the repair and re-use of electric vehicle batteries, and consider what an insurance brokers showstopper might look like on Great British Bake…
Car and motorcycle insurance complaints stick in FOS top five
The number of car and motorcycle insurance complaints to the Financial Ombudsman Service in the second quarter of 2024/25 dropped compared to the same period a year ago however the sector has remained in the top five.
Aviva lifts the lid on young person social media ghost broking epidemic
One in three young drivers have purchased car insurance from ghost brokers selling invalid or fake policies on social media platforms, according to an Aviva survey.
Biba welcomes decision to not use term ‘ghost broking’ in new Fraud Charter
The British Insurance Brokers’ Association has welcomed the replacement of term ghost broking with ‘illegal insurance firms’ in the new Home Office Insurance Fraud Charter published last week.
Addept signs distribution deal to bolster broker landlord offering
Addept Insurance Services has today announced an exclusive broker distribution deal with Title Guardian, a 24/7 digital anti-fraud property and identity monitoring tool.